Judge Called the Powell Criminal Case Baseless — Then DOJ Prosecutors Showed Up at the Fed Unannounced

# Judge Called the Powell Criminal Case Baseless — Then DOJ Prosecutors Showed Up at the Fed Unannounced

> **Quick answer:** Chief Judge James Boasberg ruled that the DOJ has "essentially zero evidence to suspect Chair Powell of a crime" and blocked all criminal subpoenas targeting the Federal Reserve chair, concluding the probe's "dominant purpose is to harass and pressure Powell either to yield to the President or to resign." Despite that ruling, prosecutors from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office showed up unannounced at the Federal Reserve construction site, requested a "tour," and were turned away. Powell's attorney Robert Hur warned the DOJ not to attempt contact outside of counsel. Trump's May 15 deadline to fire Powell is now five weeks away.

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A federal judge did not just dismiss the DOJ's criminal subpoenas targeting Jerome Powell — he said the government produced "essentially zero evidence" of a crime and that the investigation's real purpose was to "harass and pressure" the Fed chair into stepping down. That ruling, by Chief Judge James Boasberg of the D.C. District Court, should have ended the matter. Instead, within days, DOJ prosecutors from Jeanine Pirro's office showed up unannounced at the Federal Reserve's headquarters and asked for a construction tour. They were turned away at the door. The sequence of events is the clearest picture yet of how the DOJ prosecutors Federal Reserve Powell unannounced visit blocked subpoena 2026 story is not really about a renovation — it is about who controls the Federal Reserve.

## The Judge's Ruling: "Essentially Zero Evidence of a Crime"

The criminal investigation into Jerome Powell was launched in January 2026, centered on allegations that Powell lied to Congress about cost overruns in the Federal Reserve's headquarters renovation project. Original estimates pegged the renovation at $1.9 billion in 2022; current projections place the cost at approximately $2.5 billion — a roughly $600 million overrun. The DOJ argued this discrepancy, combined with Powell's June 2025 Senate Banking Committee testimony, constituted potential criminal conduct.