Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said that he was “prepared to move on with the confirmation” of President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, now that the Trump administration has ended its criminal probe into current Fed Chairman Jerome Powell.
Host Kristen Welker said, “To another big topic, a big headline this week the fed chair. Of course, the Department of Justice on Friday announced it was going to close its investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. You had pledged to block the confirmation of Powell successor, Kevin Warsh, until the investigation was dropped. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro added this caveat with her announcement, saying, ‘I will not hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so.’ You just heard the acting attorney general effectively leave the door open to the investigation potentially being reopened. So let me ask you, will you now vote yes to confirm Kevin Warsh?”
Tillis said, “The announcement on Friday was well received by me. I think it’s the first time that the Department of Justice in D.C., or I should say, the D.C. prosecutors have acknowledged that they’re not going to carry this case for the cases on appeal. But after that statement, I’ve had a number of discussions with the Department of Justice. They have made it very clear that the current investigation is completely and fully ended.”
He added, “Now with this, I am prepared and with the assurances from, the Department of Justice that the case is completely and fully settled, that the appeal would only be used to potentially abrogate or change the ruling for administrative purposes, not as a basis for reopening the investigation, and that the only way an investigation would be open would be a criminal, referral from one of the most respected inspector general out there. I am prepared to move on with the confirmation. Mr. Warsh, I think he’s going to be a great Fed chair.”
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