U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro responded to the growing controversy regarding her office’s decision to initiate legal proceedings against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.
Powell ‘Ignored’ DOJ Outreach
On Tuesday, in a post on X, Pirro said that her office had attempted to contact the Federal Reserve on “multiple occasions” to discuss the cost overruns in its headquarters renovation project, as well as Powell’s Congressional testimony, but was “ignored.”
This, she said, necessitated the “use of legal process,” which she noted “is not a threat.” Pirro also said that the word “indictment” was only used by Powell, not by anyone else.
“None of this would have happened if they had just responded to our outreach,” she said, adding that her office makes decisions “based on merits,” pushing back against accusations of targeting Powell for political reasons, amid President Donald Trump’s longstanding feud with the Fed Chair.
She concluded by saying that she agreed with Powell’s statement that “no one is above the law,” and as such, expects his full cooperation on the matter.
Pirro, who hosted the reality court show Judge Jeanine Pirro and Justice with Judge Jeanine, was appointed as the interim United States attorney for the District of Columbia by Trump in May 2025, to succeed Ed Martin, according to a Reuters report.
DOJ Action Only ‘Pretext’
In a video statement on Sunday, Powell said the Department of Justice had threatened the central bank with a “criminal indictment” tied to his congressional testimony. Powell dismissed the allegations as mere “pretexts,” arguing the real motive behind the probe was an attempt to assert control over U.S. monetary policy.
Former Fed Chairs Janet Yellen, Ben Bernanke and Alan Greenspan, have warned that criminal proceedings against Powell threatens the Fed’s independence.
Former Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter downplayed the DOJ action, saying that “the bar for opening up a criminal investigation is very low,” while at the same time the “bar for convicting somebody for a crime is very high.”
Kanter said that perjury cases tied only testimony were very unusual, while adding, “it’s going to be very difficult” to get a conviction.
Photo Courtesy: Domenico Fornas on Shutterstock.com
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