U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) became the second Republican to support a plan to block any Federal Reserve Board nominees proposed by President Donald Trump after the U.S. Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation into Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
The Federal Reserve received grand jury subpoenas from the Justice Department on Friday, threatening a criminal indictment related to Powell’s testimony in June 2025 about the central bank’s building renovation project.
Murkowski said in a social media post that she spoke with Powell on Jan. 12 and that the investigation was “an attempt at coercion.”
“If the Department of Justice believes an investigation into Chair Powell is warranted based on project cost overruns—which are not unusual—then Congress needs to investigate the Department of Justice,” Murkowski stated. “My colleague, Senator Tillis, is right in blocking any Federal Reserve nominees until this is resolved.”…
GOP Senators Vow to Block Fed Nominees Over Probe of Powell
