All posts tagged: crooked

Trump attacks Powell amid Fed fears: ‘Incompetent’ or ‘crooked’

Trump attacks Powell amid Fed fears: ‘Incompetent’ or ‘crooked’

President Donald Trump on Tuesday slammed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as either “incompetent” or “crooked,” even as his Department of Justice faces growing opposition over its criminal investigation of the central bank leader. Trump threw his latest punch at Powell after being asked whether the unprecedented action undermines confidence in the Fed, which has long enjoyed independence from the executive branch. “He’s billions of dollars over budget,” Trump said, apparently referencing costs related to a multibillion-dollar renovation of the Fed’s Washington headquarters, which is at the center of DOJ’s probe. “So, he either is incompetent or he’s crooked,” Trump said. “I don’t know what he is. But he does a – certainly he doesn’t do a very good job.” Trump’s comments to reporters outside the White House came as bipartisan criticism of the investigation, and support for the Fed’s independence, continues to grow. U.S. President Donald Trump looks at Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holding a document during a tour of the Federal Reserve Board building, which is currently undergoing renovations, in Washington, D.C., …