Jeanine Pirro defends Fed Chairman Jerome Powell criminal investigation
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U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro criticized Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday, saying “no one is above the law” amid criticism of the newly launched investigation into the central bank.
“The President says, ‘You’re attacking the independence of the Federal Reserve.’ That’s not what we’re doing.” “We’re doing our job,” Pirro said during an appearance on “Hannity.”
“I think the sad part about this is that no one is above the law, no one thinks they have the right to be above the law. I wonder what you would suggest to those who say, ‘This is terrible,’ even in our own party? Are there some people you can’t investigate? Are there people whose complaints we just look the other way and put them in the drawer? This is not the America I grew up in.”
Federal prosecutors have launched an investigation focusing on whether Powell was honest in his testimony to Congress about a project to overhaul the Fed’s two main buildings on the National Mall. No charges were filed and Powell denied any wrongdoing.
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Jeanine Pirro watches President Donald Trump speak during a press conference to discuss crimes in Washington, D.C., in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on August 11, 2025. (left); Fed Chairman Jerome Powell at a press conference following the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, December 10, 2025. (right) (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images; Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Pirro claimed costs exceeded $1 billion and expressed concerns that Powell was lying to Congress.
He said Monday his office is continuing to investigate Not getting a response from Powell After multiple attempts at contact, he reiterated this point live.
“I am the United States attorney for the District of Columbia, and with that job comes the responsibility of investigating and prosecuting D.C. Act crimes as well as federal criminal violations in D.C.,” he said.
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Construction of the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington, DC, on Monday, July 14, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
“In this case from the Federal Reserve, my request was a legal request, and Federal Reserve Chairman Powell chose not to provide a legal response. Instead, he chose to politicize and publicize any of this. I did not politicize or publicize any of this. I followed federal rules. I will investigate until I have evidence, and if I find evidence, then I will make a public statement.”
Powell addressed the investigation in a video statement Sunday evening, calling the move “unprecedented” and another example of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to intimidate the central bank.
“This new threat is not about my testimony last June or about the renovation of the Federal Reserve buildings. It is not about Congress’s oversight role. The Fed has made every effort to keep Congress informed about the renovation project through testimony and other public statements,” he said.
“The threat of criminal charges is a result of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than serving the president’s preferences.”
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This comes as the battle-tested Powell’s term is scheduled to end in May and he is believed to be replaced by a Trump-friendly name.
As the president approaches a final decision on leadership at the Fed, he has narrowed his short list to four candidates: Kevin Hassett, Kevin Warsh, Christopher Waller and Rick Rieder.
Fox News’ Amanda Macias contributed to this report.
