A federal judge quashed subpoenas seeking to criminally investigate Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, finding a “mountain of evidence” that they were meant to harass him and “essentially zero evidence” of a crime.
“Did prosecutors issue those subpoenas for a proper purpose?” Chief U.S. District Judge James “Jeb” Boasberg wrote in a 27-page opinion on Friday. “The Court finds that they did not. There is abundant evidence that the subpoenas’ dominant (if not sole) purpose is to harass and pressure Powell either to yield to the President or to resign and make way for a Fed Chair who will. On the other side of the scale, the Government has offered no evidence whatsoever that Powell committed any crime other than displeasing the President. The Court must thus conclude that the asserted justifications for these subpoenas are mere pretexts.”
During a nearly 45-minute conversation, Andrew Weissmann and I discussed the blistering ruling, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s ongoing losing streak, and the Justice Department’s brazen acknowledgement that it serves Donald Trump. You can watch the archived video at the top of this newsletter.
Toward the end of the conversation, Andrew Weissmann described the Justice Department’s proposed rule purporting to strip state bar associations of the power to investigate the agency’s prosecutors and staffers. The public can read the proposed rule here and submit comments on this page.
Read Boasberg’s ruling in full here.
