PANews reported on January 12th that, according to Jinshi citing The New York Times, informed officials revealed that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia has launched a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell regarding the Fed headquarters renovation project and whether Powell made false statements to Congress regarding the project's scale. The investigation includes an analysis of Powell's public statements and a review of related spending records, and was approved last November. The investigation was approved by the office's head, Jeanne Piro, a longtime Trump ally. It is unclear whether Piro has convened a grand jury or issued subpoenas. However, according to an official, prosecutors in her office have repeatedly contacted Powell's staff, requesting documents related to the renovation project. Trump has long criticized Powell for refusing to cut interest rates as he has demanded, threatening to fire him and vowing to sue over the $2.5 billion Fed renovation project, arguing that Mr. Powell is "incompetent."