President Donald Trump has had no shortage of political enemies and critics who’ve been a thorn in his side through both of his terms.
While many are fairly public figures — from Rosie O’Donnell to Keith Olbermann to Chuck Schumer — some are not.
And the latest drama surrounding the Trump administration involves two lesser-known headaches seemingly combining into one massive migraine.
According to NPR, a federal judge has effectively halted a criminal probe into the Federal Reserve by the U.S. government.
Federal Judge James Boasberg (who’d previously clashed with this administration on a litany of issues) effectively ruled that this criminal probe was just a thinly veiled attempt to “harass and pressure” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell — another person who has rankled the Trump administration.
A probe was launched against Powell after a Republican lawmaker referred him to the Department of Justice over allegedly lying to Congress about the cost of a project.
The ensuing fallout led to subpoenas against Powell — but Boasberg has effectively overruled them, accusing the Trump administration of impropriety.
“A mountain of evidence suggests that the Government served these subpoenas on the Board to pressure its Chair into voting for lower interest rates or resigning,” Boasberg said in court documents obtained by NBC News.
Boasberg added, “On the other side of the scale, the Government has produced essentially zero evidence to suspect Chair Powell of a crime; indeed, its justifications are so thin and unsubstantiated that the Court can only conclude that they are pretextual.”
NPR noted that Boasberg was even more forceful in a newly unsealed opinion.
“The Government has offered no evidence whatsoever that Powell committed any crime other than displeasing the President,” Boasberg wrote. “There is abundant evidence that the subpoenas’ dominant (if not sole) purpose is to harass and pressure Powell either to yield to the President or to resign and make way for a Fed Chair who will.”
(Trump has long pressured Powell to lower interest rates to help boost the economy. Powell and the Federal Reserve have refused to do so.)
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro fired back at Boasberg’s ruling, and was none too pleased with the decision.
“By inserting himself and preventing the grand jury from even obtaining, let alone hearing evidence, he has neutered the grand jury’s ability to investigate crime,” a visibly frustrated Pirro said. “As a result, Jerome Powell today is now bathed in immunity, preventing my office from investigating the Federal Reserve.”
“This is wrong and it is without legal authority.”
NPR further reported that Pirro has already vowed to appeal this ruling.
Interestingly enough, certain Republicans actually applauded Boasberg’s ruling.
North Carolina GOP Sen. Thom Tillis took to X shortly after the ruling was rendered, and blasted the investigation into Powell.
This ruling confirms just how weak and frivolous the criminal investigation of Chairman Powell is and it is nothing more than a failed attack on Fed independence.
We all know how this is going to end and the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office should save itself further embarrassment…
— Senator Thom Tillis (@SenThomTillis) March 13, 2026
“This ruling confirms just how weak and frivolous the criminal investigation of Chairman Powell is and it is nothing more than a failed attack on Fed independence,” Tillis posted on Friday. “We all know how this is going to end and the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office should save itself further embarrassment and move on.”
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