Anna Paulina Luna refers Fed Chairman Powell to DOJ for possible perjury, false statements

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., announced Monday that she referred Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to the Department of Justice for possible perjury and making false statements to federal officials regarding the central bank's headquarters renovations.

Luna submitted the referral to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday, citing Powell's sworn testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in June, in which he denied that there would be a VIP dining room, premium marble, water features, and a roof terrace garden as part of the renovations.

She added that the official project documents submitted to the National Capital Planning Commission contradict what he claimed.

Powell sent a letter on Thursday to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought in response to OMB director's letter the prior week criticizing the chairman's management of the $2.5 billion renovation, which is $700 million over budget.

Vought argued that Powell approved extravagant features including “rooftop terrace gardens, VIP private dining rooms and elevators, water features, premium marble.” 

Powell responded, saying that since the NCPC approved the renovation plan in 2021, "the Board has made a small number of design changes to scale back or eliminate certain elements and has added no new elements. These changes were intended to simplify construction and reduce the likelihood of further delays and cost increases."

Powell also explained that there will be no “roof terrace gardens,” but that a parking lot is being constructed under the building, meaning the ground-level front lawn will be a “roof” for the parking structure. Also, marble from Georgia will be used in places where the original marble structure was damaged, he said.

Luna also said that Powell falsely claimed that the Fed's Eccles Building “never had” a serious renovation. However, the building had a major overhaul between 1999 and 2003, she noted.

The congresswoman also said that the correspondence between Powell and Vought mischaracterized the project changes.

“These are not minor misstatements,” Luna said in a statement on Monday. “Chairman Powell knowingly misled both Congress and executive branch officials about the true nature of a taxpayer-funded project. Lying under oath is a serious offense— especially from someone tasked with overseeing our monetary system and public trust.”