Pirro Drops Appeal Plan in Criminal Probe of Fed Chair Powell
CNBC reported Sunday that U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro appears to have walked back her long-stated plan to appeal adverse court rulings in her criminal probe of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The reversal came just one day before a filing deadline.
Pirro Signals a New Legal Path
Rather than pursue an appeal, Pirro told CNN’s “State of the Union” she intends to file a motion to vacate the ruling by Chief Judge James Boasberg of the D.C. District Court. Boasberg had quashed subpoenas her office served on the Fed. Pirro argued those rulings set a harmful precedent limiting grand jury investigations broadly.
Former assistant U.S. Attorney Sean P. Murphy offered a blunt assessment of the maneuver. A motion to vacate essentially asks a judge to act as if a prior ruling never occurred, Murphy said. He added that Pirro likely lacks legal standing to erase a Justice Department loss in this context. Pirro’s office did not respond to comment requests.
Also Read: Trump Pressures Fed on Rate Cuts as Powell Pushes Back
Background: A Probe Rooted in Building Costs and Rate Pressure
Boasberg’s original ruling found no specific evidence of wrongdoing by the Fed. The judge wrote that the subpoenas bore strong signs of being a pressure campaign against Powell. The stated aim was to obtain records tied to cost overruns in Fed building renovations. But Boasberg concluded the real intent appeared to be forcing the Fed chief to cut interest rates or resign. President Donald Trump has repeatedly and publicly demanded rapid rate reductions from the central bank.
Appeals within the DOJ typically require sign-off from a senior department official, since they can create precedents cutting against the government’s own interests. It remained unclear whether Pirro ever secured that approval.
Also Read: Fed Chair Powell Vows to Stay on Board Until Legal Threats Are Resolved
Powell Holds His Ground, Pirro Keeps Her Options Open
Powell said last Wednesday he planned to remain on the Federal Reserve’s board past his term as chair. He indicated he would not step aside until he was satisfied the legal threat to the institution had fully passed. The Fed declined to comment on Pirro’s latest move.
Pirro, for her part, has not committed to closing the investigation permanently. She said she is waiting for a report from Fed Inspector General Michael Horowitz and reserved the right to reopen the probe if she sees cause.
