Leavitt calls out Tillis for blocking Trump’s Fed pick amid DOJ’s Powell probe
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, RN.C. He accused Sen. Thom Tillis of holding America “hostage” as he vowed to oppose President Donald Trump’s pick to chair the Federal Reserve until the administration ends the investigation into current Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
Leavitt said of Tillis on “Sunday Morning Futures”: “I certainly don’t think that a sitting senator in the United States should hold our entire country and our economy hostage over the fact that he has some political disagreements with an investigation that’s being directed by the Department of Justice.”
TRUMP SAYS HE ‘LIKES’ DOJ TARGETING JEROME POWELL, SAYS IT’S ‘NOT HELPING’ IF IT LOOKS LIKE MINOR
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., speaks with members of the media as he arrives at the Capitol for a vote on January 29, 2026 in Washington, D.C. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He called Trump nominee Kevin Warsh “a highly qualified and distinguished economist with a very outstanding resume.”
Tillis doesn’t dispute Warsh’s qualifications, but he does dispute the investigation itself, writing of X: “The Justice Department continues to conduct a criminal investigation of Chairman Jerome Powell based on committee testimony that no reasonable person could interpret as indicating criminal intent.”
HOUSE DEMOCRATS WANT AN INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP DOJ’S CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF FED CHAIRMAN POWELL
President Donald Trump defended the Justice Department’s investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell in an interview on “CBS Evening News.” (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein; Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)
“Until the DOJ’s investigation into Chairman Powell is fully and transparently resolved, I will oppose the confirmation of any Federal Reserve nominee, including the position of Chairman.”
Powell has led the Fed since Trump nominated him for the post in 2017. The Justice Department is investigating whether Powell knowingly misled lawmakers about the cost and timeline of a $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed headquarters.
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Although the investigation officially has nothing to do with Powell’s responsibilities as Fed chair, a bipartisan group of lawmakers interpreted the investigation as a way for Trump to pressure Powell to lower interest rates.
Trump has repeatedly called for lower interest rates, but Powell has resisted, citing the need to preserve the agency’s independence.
The Fed maintains the financial stability of the United States by managing the money supply and credit conditions to keep inflation in check and maximize employment; A mission that Powell said should be separate from any administration’s political goals.
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Fox News’ Leo Briceno contributed to this report.
