DOJ officials attempt to 'tour' the Fed's renovations as probe stalls

EconomyDOJ officials attempt to 'tour' the Fed's renovations as probe stallsThe unannounced "check on progress" visit could further gum up the Senate confirmation of Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to chair the Fed.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Construction continues at the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington.Heather Diehl / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 14, 2026, 11:59 PM EDTBy Steve Kopack and Ryan J. ReillyProsecutors working for Jeannine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., made an unannounced visit to the headquarters of the Federal Reserve on Tuesday.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Three officials from Pirro’s office arrived at the Fed's headquarters construction site in downtown Washington and said they wanted a “tour," Robert Hur, the central bank's outside counsel, told Pirro’s office in an email, which was seen by NBC News. Pirro’s deputies also said they wanted to “check on progress” in the yearslong renovation of the Fed's historic buildings overlooking the National Mall, Hur said. Hur indicated in his email Tuesday that investigators were turned away from the site. The attempted visit was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.The surprise move by Pirro's office came as its investigation into Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s congressional testimony last year about the Fed's renovation project has been rapidly losing steam. The probe first broke into public view in January, when Powell announced that subpoenas had been served to the central bank.“The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president,” Powell said in a video statement Sunday night.On March 13, Judge James Boasberg, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court f...