Republican and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, Anna Paulina Luna, has urged the U.S. Department of Justice to criminally indict Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, according to an official letter published by Fox News Digital.

On June 25, 2025, Powell testified under oath in a hearing before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. According to Luna, who voted against the passage of cryptocurrency legislation, Powell denied that luxury amenities were included in the new plan to redevelop the Eccles Building, the headquarters of the Federal Reserve.

In her letter, Luna stated that Powell had "made materially false statements" relating to:

  • the presence of a VIP dining room, marble finishes, water system, roof garden, and modern elevators;

  • the scale and cost of the reconstruction increased from $1.9 billion to $2.5 billion.

Luna wrote: "According to the documents reviewed by congressional investigators, these changes are neither minor in nature nor insignificant in scope."

In addition to making alleged false statements, the congresswoman emphasized that Powell intentionally presented the updated reconstruction plan in a simplified form to conceal excessive spending. She cited letters sent to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought, in which Powell downplayed the scale of the changes.

Luna emphasized that these statements contradict both:

  • official plans submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission and

  • the initial statements of the Director Vought himself.

According to media reports, Powell denies all allegations of falsification and has conducted an internal investigation regarding the reconstruction costs.

While Luna previously wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that she hoped Trump would fire Powell, Trump himself stated in April that he did not intend to fire the Fed chair.

According to this publication, moderate Republicans and Powell supporters argue that firing the Fed chair would lead to further instability across many financial markets.

However, the conflict between Trump's conservative allies and the Fed chair is escalating, especially in the context of criticism that Powell is not cutting interest rates as much as Trump demands.