In a recent exchange with reporters at the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed a direct question about President Donald Trump’s stance on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The interaction highlighted ongoing scrutiny of Powell’s role and decisions at the central bank.
The question arose amid reports of a newly launched criminal investigation by the Department of Justice into Powell. Powell himself announced that the DOJ had served the Federal Reserve with subpoenas and threatened criminal indictment, linking it to the bank’s interest rate policies. This development stems from President Trump’s repeated criticisms of Powell’s handling of monetary policy, particularly during periods of economic adjustment.
When asked by a reporter, “Does the president believe Jerome Powell is criminal?” Leavitt replied: “The President has made it quite clear that Jerome Powell is bad at his job. As for whether or not Jerome Powell is criminal, that’s an answer the Department of Justice is going to have to find out, and it looks like they intend to find that out.”
Leavitt’s response underscores the administration’s position that Powell’s performance warrants examination, while deferring any determination of criminality to the DOJ’s ongoing probe. The investigation has intensified the public feud between the White House and the Federal Reserve, with Powell vowing to maintain the institution’s independence.
