Prosecutors from the office of Jeanine Pirro made an unannounced visit to the Federal Reserve headquarters renovation project in Washington, D.C., marking the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s scrutiny of the central bank.
.jpg)
The surprise visit, confirmed by Pirro’s office and first reported by The Wall Street Journal, involved two deputies who arrived at the construction site without prior notice and requested access to review progress on the ongoing renovation.
According to reports, after briefly speaking with construction workers, the prosecutors were informed they could not access the site without proper clearance and were instead directed to contact the Fed’s legal team.
The visit comes as the Department of Justice continues its investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his oversight of the central bank’s headquarters renovation.
The probe has drawn sharp criticism from former central bank officials and economic policymakers from both major political parties, who argue it could undermine the Fed’s independence.
An attorney representing the Fed, Robert Hur, reportedly objected to the visit in a letter, stating that prosecutors appeared “without prior notice” and sought a tour of the construction site to assess renovation progress.
A federal judge has previously characterized the investigation as a “thinly disguised effort” to pressure Powell to either lower interest rates or step down from his position. Despite that ruling, the Justice Department has indicated it plans to appeal.
.jpg)
The development comes amid an ongoing campaign by Donald Trump to push for lower interest rates, a move that has intensified tensions between the White House and the Federal Reserve.
Trump has publicly criticized Fed leadership and is expected to reshape the institution’s direction, having nominated Kevin Warsh as a potential successor to Powell, whose term is set to end in May.
Economists widely regard central bank independence as essential to maintaining stable monetary policy, allowing decisions on interest rates and inflation control to remain insulated from short-term political pressures.
The unexpected visit to the renovation site — a major infrastructure project in the nation’s capital — underscores how construction oversight has become entangled in a broader political and economic dispute.
Originally reported by Kanishka Singh and Jasper Ward in Reuters.
.png)
.png)
