Karoline Leavitt Says Powell Probe ‘Not Necessarily Dropped’: ‘A Priority for the President’
While answering questions from reporters on Friday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell is “not necessarily dropped,” and that the investigation remains “a priority to the president.”
On Friday morning, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced that her office would no longer investigate Powell over his pricey headquarters renovations, clearing the way for the confirmation of expected Fed chair successor Kevin Warsh.
A reporter — not pictured — asked Leavitt on Friday if “the president signed off” on that decision.
Leavitt cited Pirro’s announcement on X, emphasizing that “the case is not necessarily dropped” but instead “being moved over to the inspector general, who has critical tools at their disposal to continue to look into the financial mismanagement at the Fed.”
“This has obviously been a priority for the president,” continued Leavitt of President Donald Trump. “If you drive by the Fed building, the president has a point. This is a project that’s been going on for a very long time. It’s costing taxpayers billions of dollars, and I think it’s in the best interest of the taxpayer to get to the bottom of it.”
“The investigation still continues — it’s just under a different authority, and that’s what you’ll continue to see,” she concluded.
In Pirro’s Friday morning X post, she added, “I will not hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so.”
Per CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on X after Pirro’s announcement, “the question is whether this is enough clarity and finality for Powell to leave the board of governors.”
Following up, also on X CNN’s Aaron Blake wrote, “You’ve got to believe Powell fears resigning would deprive him of leverage to prevent DOJ from coming after him again. Especially given Trump kept pushing this probe long after it seemed counterproductive.”
Watch the clip above via Newsmax.
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