Federal Reserve Hires Robert Hur to Fight DOJ Subpoenas Targeting Jerome Powell

The Federal Reserve Board has retained Robert Hur, the former special counsel known for investigating President Joe Biden's classified document handling, to defend Fed Chair Jerome Powell against a Justice Department criminal probe. Court filings unsealed Friday revealed Hur's involvement after a federal judge blocked DOJ subpoenas tied to the investigation.

Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled in favor of the Fed's Board of Governors, finding a substantial body of evidence suggesting the DOJ investigation was designed to pressure Powell into cutting interest rates or stepping down — rather than addressing any genuine criminal conduct. The ruling noted the government provided no real evidence that Powell committed any crime beyond angering President Trump.

The subpoenas had targeted records related to renovation projects at the Fed's historic Washington headquarters and Powell's July 2025 Senate Banking Committee testimony. Powell, represented separately by Williams & Connolly, had previously disclosed the probe in January, calling it politically motivated.

President Trump has repeatedly clashed with Powell over monetary policy, publicly demanding faster interest rate cuts. Critics and legal observers have viewed the Justice Department's actions as an extension of that political pressure campaign.

Hur, a conservative attorney now partnered at King & Spalding, was originally appointed Maryland's top federal prosecutor during Trump's first term. His special counsel report on Biden attracted controversy after he described the former president as an elderly man with diminished memory — a characterization Democrats sharply criticized. Hur is also currently representing Harvard University in its legal battle with the Trump administration over federal funding and foreign student enrollment.

Washington's U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, whose office led the investigation, vowed to appeal Friday's ruling, signaling the legal standoff between the Justice Department and the nation's central bank is far from over.