Pirro Appears to Drop Appeal in Criminal Probe of Fed Chair Powell
U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C. Jeanine Pirro appeared Sunday to abandon her long-stated plan to appeal adverse court rulings in her criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, CNBC reported.
Pirro had repeatedly signaled she would seek a higher court’s review of decisions by Chief Judge James Boasberg of the D.C. District Court. Boasberg had quashed her subpoenas to the Fed. Her deadline to file that appeal was Monday.
A Pivot Away From Appeal
Instead of pursuing that route, Pirro announced a different legal tactic on CNN’s “State of the Union.” She said her office would file a motion to vacate Boasberg’s order, citing concerns about the precedent it sets for grand jury investigations broadly.
The subpoenas at the center of the dispute had demanded the Fed hand over documents relating to cost overruns in building renovation projects. By walking away from the appeal, Pirro effectively appears to have dropped that specific demand.
Her office did not respond to CNBC’s requests for comment. It remained unclear exactly what her office intended to ask the court to vacate, or on what legal basis.
Background: Why Boasberg Blocked the Probe
Boasberg ruled against Pirro’s office on the grounds that prosecutors had produced no concrete evidence of wrongdoing. He found substantial indications the investigation was designed to pressure Powell into cutting interest rates, in line with demands from President Donald Trump.
The judge wrote that evidence pointed to the subpoenas being used as a tool to coerce the Fed chair into supporting lower rates or resigning.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean P. Murphy told CNBC that a motion to vacate essentially asks the court to treat a prior ruling as though it never occurred. He noted Pirro had recently filed a similar motion in Proud Boys and Oath Keepers conviction cases stemming from January 6. However, Murphy said he doubted she had legal standing to erase the record of a DOJ loss in the Fed matter.
Powell’s Position and What Comes Next
Powell said earlier last week he would remain on the Fed’s board beyond his expiring chairmanship term until he was confident the legal threat against the institution had been resolved.
Pirro has not ruled out reopening the investigation. She said she is waiting for a report from Fed Inspector General Michael Horowitz and declined to commit to closing the probe even if Horowitz finds no criminal wrongdoing. She noted that Boasberg’s rulings had blocked her office from interviewing witnesses, a step Horowitz’s office can still take.
The Fed declined to comment on the latest development.
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