Judge Blocks DOJ Subpoenas Targeting Fed's Powell
The Spin
Democratic narrative
A federal judge rightly shut down the DOJ's politically motivated subpoenas targeting Fed Chair Jerome Powell, finding zero evidence of actual wrongdoing. The court made clear the whole scheme was designed to pressure Powell into cutting interest rates for Trump — not to fight crime. Blocking this abuse of prosecutorial power is a win for the Federal Reserve's independence and the rule of law in the United States.
Republican narrative
An activist judge has handed Jerome Powell a get-out-of-jail-free card by blocking legitimate grand jury subpoenas into a $600 million cost overrun scandal at the Federal Reserve. Powell made questionable statements to Congress about the ballooning renovation costs, and prosecutors had every right to investigate — that's how justice works. Blocking evidence-gathering before a probe even begins is a perversion of the legal process.
