Tillis Refuses to Confirm Fed Nominee Until DOJ Halts Powell Investigation

The nomination of Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair will not advance without the vote of Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who has vowed to block it until the Department of Justice ends its criminal investigation into Powell. Tillis, speaking to NBC News, said he would not confirm Warsh unless the Trump administration agrees to halt the probe. The Fed chair nomination process is now tied to the status of a separate DOJ inquiry, which Tillis says must be resolved before the transition can proceed. The DOJ investigation remains active, and Tillis has accepted Trump’s claim that the president had no role in it, suggesting instead that the probe is being pursued by someone in the DOJ seeking to align with the White House. Powell’s term as Fed chair expires in May.