**Title: Tillis Says No Go on Fed Nominee Until Powell’s Investigation is Wrapped Up**
Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina isn’t backing down. He made it clear that even if Trump were to pardon Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, it wouldn’t change a thing about his one-man blockade against any new Fed nominees. Tillis insists that the Justice Department needs to finish looking into Powell’s testimony regarding a major Fed renovation project before he’ll even consider supporting anyone else.
Right now, Tillis is standing in the way of Kevin Warsh, Trump’s pick to take over as Fed chair. He’s made it his mission to oppose any nominee until the investigation into Powell wraps up. While a presidential pardon might seem like a quick fix to clear Powell’s name, Tillis thinks that’s a “silly” idea. Why? Because it might suggest Powell actually did something wrong in front of the Senate.
In his own words, Tillis said, “A pardon to me almost validates the whole notion for the investigation.” He’s not about to let it go until he’s convinced there’s no wrongdoing on Powell’s part.
With Republicans holding a slim 13-11 majority on the Senate Banking Committee, Tillis’s resistance is enough to block Warsh unless he gets some backing from Democrats. He did say he thinks Warsh could be a “fine” Fed chair—just not until this investigation is sorted out.
“I’m not budging one inch,” Tillis stated, emphasizing that Fed independence is too important to compromise. And when asked about Trump possibly asking prosecutors to drop the case, the former president didn’t give a straight answer. Instead, he said the U.S. attorney for D.C. would take the matter “to the end.”
Looks like Tillis and Trump are on the same page this week—both ready to dig in their heels and see this thing through. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see who blinks first.
