By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press
**WASHINGTON (AP)** — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Sunday that the Department of Justice has served the central bank with subpoenas and threatened it with a criminal indictment over his testimony about the Fed’s building renovations.
The move represents an unprecedented escalation in President Donald Trump’s battle with the Fed, an independent agency he has repeatedly attacked for not cutting its key interest rate as quickly as Trump prefers.
The subpoena relates to Powell’s testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in June regarding the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation of two office buildings, a project that Trump criticized as excessive this summer.
In a video statement, Powell called the threat of criminal charges “pretexts” to undermine the Fed’s independence when it comes to setting interest rates.
“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,” Powell said.
The Justice Department, in a statement Sunday, said it cannot comment on any particular case but added that Attorney General Pam Bondi “has instructed her US Attorneys to prioritize investigating any abuse of taxpayer dollars.”
A spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office did not immediately respond to a text message and phone call seeking comment.
The potential indictment has already drawn concern from one Republican senator, who said he will oppose any future nominee to the central bank, including any replacement for Powell, until “this legal matter is fully resolved.”
“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,” said North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, who sits on the Banking Committee, which oversees Fed nominations.
“It is now the independence and credibility of the Department of Justice that are in question.”
Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim, Eric Tucker, and Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report.
https://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/2026/01/11/federal-reserve-powell-subpoena/