Mike Johnson reserves judgment on alleged DOJ probe of Fed chair Jerome Powell

House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would reserve judgment about a supposed Department of Justice probe into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at his weekly press conference, Independent.co reported.

Powell announced on video that he was being threatened with criminal charges by the Trump administration’s DOJ. The charges are supposedly related to testimony he gave to Congress last year about renovations to the Fed’s offices, a project Trump and Republicans have criticised for running over budget and for supposedly elaborate accoutrements. Powell has said the charges stem from his unwillingness to bend to President Donald Trump’s desire to reduce interest rates.

Johnson said, "Chairman Powell is an individual, he is not the Fed," and added that if there are credible allegations the DOJ should investigate, because no one is immune. He said he would reserve judgment, noted "there will be a new chairman come May," and recommended waiting to see what the investigation produces.

Key Topics

Politics, Mike Johnson, Jerome Powell, Federal Reserve, Donald Trump, Consumer Price Index