Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro criticized the Department of Justice’s criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, questioning the probe’s rationale and potential political motivations. Shapiro, host of The Ben Shapiro Show, said he’s open to the idea that the probe is “legit,” but absent that, it’s poor policy and a risky move that could destabilize markets. As it stands, the pro-Trump pundit voiced skepticism about the legal basis for targeting Powell.
Shapiro noted that the DOJ’s investigation concerns allegations that Powell may have misled Congress about the scope and cost of a Federal Reserve renovation project, a multibillion-dollar overhaul of Fed buildings in Washington, D.C.
However, he questioned whether there’s clear evidence of criminal conduct, asking rhetorically, “What is the case here?” and suggesting Powell’s statements may simply have become outdated as project details changed.
Mediaite continues:
Trump fumed last month that the project’s budget was north of $4 billion now — about $1.5 billion more than projected. Shapiro said even if that is true, it does not necessarily mean Powell did something illegal.
“Here is my question — obviously Powell could have said things that were accurate at the time and later became inaccurate because the facts on the ground change — is there evidence Powell was stealing money or embezzling?” Shapiro asked. “What is the case here?”
He also said it looked bad that Trump appeared to be targeting people at the Fed for not agreeing with him on interest rates. The president has routinely bashed Powell for not moving quickly enough in his view to cut rates and has branded him with the nickname “Too Late.”
“This is bad policy, you should not be targeting people based on specious investigations — if it turns out it’s specious,” Shapiro said.
The Daily Wire host said he did not yet know the full details of the case against Powell and would reserve judgment until more information emerged. However, he added that if the criticism of Powell ultimately proves to be driven less by concerns about the Federal Reserve’s renovation project and more by disagreements over interest-rate policy, that would be troubling.
Powell — and some Republicans — argue that this is precisely why he is being singled out.
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The DOJ better have their ducks in a row when it comes to the criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell
Time after time people question Trump, nothing wrong with that, but they assume they know everything he does. In the end, Trump had additional information as President and with that, he made the correct decision.
Shapiro needs to STFU and let the case proceed and the evidence be presented. His bias opinions are not needed.