DOJ targets the Fed as Powell draws a line against political pressure

Key topics:DOJ subpoenas Fed, escalating Trump’s pressure on Powell and Fed independencePowell says rate policy must follow data, not presidential intimidationMarkets react as Trump denies knowledge and succession battle intensifies.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Amara Omeokwe.Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the US central bank had been served grand jury subpoenas from the Justice Department threatening a criminal indictment, a dramatic escalation of the Trump administration’s attacks on the institution.In a forceful written and video statement released Sunday evening, Powell said the action was related to his June congressional testimony on ongoing renovations of the Fed’s headquarters. But he said the move “should be seen in the broader context of the administration’s threats and ongoing pressure.”“The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president,” Powell said..Read more:.Silent dissents reveal growing resistance to Fed chair Powell’s rate cuts.Powell added, “This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions — or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.”In an interview with NBC News on Sunday, President Donald Trump denied having any knowledge of the DOJ’s investigation into the central bank.US stock futures and the dollar weakened on the news, while gold extended gains to a record high. Futures on the S&P 500 Index fell as much as 0.7%.Powell said the Fed was served the subpoenas on Friday. The unprecedented move by the Trump administration marks an escalation of the president’s longstanding feud with the central bank’s chair. The president has repeatedly called for aggressive rate cuts, arguing the Fed should be acting to boost housing affordability and ease the government’s borrowing costs.He’s also long mused about firing Powell, and, in another extraordinary step, has sought to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook. The Supreme Court is set to take up the Cook case later this month.Fed policymakers last month cut their benchmark rate to a target range of 3.5% to 3.75% — the third consecutive quarter-point cut, after holding rates steady through much of 2025. Officials have signaled they’re in no rush to lower rates again until they have more data on inflation and jobs.Policymakers next meet Jan. 27-28, and futures trading shows a minimal chance of a move at that gathering.Powell’s FutureIn the statement, Powell said he intends to continue doing his job “with integrity and a commitment to serving the American people.”Powell was first elevated to the chair role in 2018 by Trump. While his current term as chair will expire in May, his underlying post as a Fed governor doesn’t end until 2028. He hasn’t indicated whether he intends to depart in May or stay on at the central bank.Trump said he has already picked his nominee to replace Powell. He has not named Powell’s successor, but Kevin Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, is a front-runner.Republican Senator Thom Tillis, a member of the Senate Banking Committee which oversees the Fed, came to the central bank’s defense on Sunday night. In a statement he pledged to “oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed — including the upcoming Fed chair vacancy — until this legal matter is fully resolved.”Without Tillis’ support, Republicans would face a significant hurdle to advance any nominee out of the committee to the full Senate for confirmation. “If there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none. It is now the independence and credibility of the Department of Justice that are in question,” Tillis said.The investigation is being run by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, according to people familiar with the matter.Attorney General Pam Bondi has directed US attorneys offices to look into cases of potential taxpayer abuse, said one of the people, who asked not to be identified discussing the probe..Read more:.Fed cuts rates as Powell warns US labour market weakness emerging.The White House referred questions to the Justice Department. A spokesperson for the Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.RenovationThe Trump administration last summer ramped up scrutiny over the Fed’s renovation of two historic buildings and rising costs associated with the project. Fed budget documents show cost estimates for the project had risen to $2.5 billion in 2025, compared with $1.9 billion in 2023.The Fed has attributed the higher costs in part to differences between original and actual estimates for materials, equipment and labor, and unforeseen issues, such as toxic contamination.In testimony last June, Powell broadly disputed media reports, and criticisms from administration officials and some congressional Republicans, that the project had extravagant design features, such as a VIP dining room and roof terrace gardens. Powell also said during the testimony that the project’s plans had “continued to evolve” and that some earlier features “are no longer in the plans.”Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought referenced the testimony in a letter he sent to Powell last July asking for details on the renovation. Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Administration and a fierce critic of Powell, has alleged – without providing details – that Powell lied about the specifics of the project during the hearing and suggested the matter could amount to sufficient legal “cause” to justify removing the Fed chief from his role.At the time, Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna also asked the DOJ to consider investigating and prosecuting Powell for allegedly lying under oath in his testimony.Amid the controversy, Trump toured the renovation site and signaled the project was not reason enough to fire Powell. Months later, on Dec. 29, Trump said he was considering a “gross incompetence” lawsuit against Powell related to the project.Under the law that created the Fed, the president can remove members of the Board of Governors only for cause, generally interpreted to mean inefficiency, malfeasance in office or neglect of duty.“It sounds like Trumpian vengeance and pressuring him to leave in May,” Mark Spindel, author of The Myth of Independence: How Congress Governs the Federal Reserve, said in reaction to the subpoenas. “If Powell hung around on the board, that complicates Trump’s majority — he needs the seats.”.© 2026 Bloomberg L.P.

DOJ targets the Fed as Powell draws a line against political pressure

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