Pirro keeps pressure on Fed's Powell despite dropping probe

Jeanine Pirro, US attorney for the District of Columbia, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. Aaron Schwartz | Bloomberg | U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro may have suspended her criminal investigation into outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell , but she and her office remain at the center of the power struggle over the influential central bank. How she handles an imminent appeal will help determine the extent of President Donald Trump 's influence on the Fed. Pirro has until Monday to appeal District of Columbia Chief Judge James Boasberg's rulings quashing her subpoenas to the Fed. What her office says in the filing will be critical in determining how long Powell stays on the Fed after his chairmanship ends, and therefore when Trump is able to appoint a new Fed governor to replace him. It could also determine whether the effective ceasefire between Trump and the Fed settles in, or if hostilities recommence, potentially unsettling markets . The Department of Justice didn't respond to requests for comment. The Fed declined to comment.