Barr Sees DOJ Probe as an “Assault” on Fed, Yahoo Finance Says

Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr called the Trump administration’s criminal investigation of the central bank, and its continuing attempt to fire Governor Lisa Cook, an “assault” on monetary policy independence.

“Chair Powell’s statement from last Sunday was clear and direct on this point. It is an assault on the independence of the Fed, as was the earlier assault on Governor Cook,” Barr said Thursday in an interview with Yahoo Finance.

Last week, the Department of Justice sent subpoenas to the Fed focused on the renovation of its headquarters and Chair Jerome Powell’s testimony to Congress last year about the ...