"Are you stupid?" That's the question one legal expert asked after the Trump administration decided to "antagonize" the Supreme Court just ahead of a crucial decision is planned to drop.
Ian Millhiser, a senior correspondent for Vox, appeared on MS NOW over the weekend, where he was asked about the DOJ's decision to investigate Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve of the United States. Powell himself dropped a defiant response, saying, "The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the federal reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president."
The host asked Millhiser, "I know there is no Supreme Court case involving the Fed chair, but what kind of impact do you think a statement like that from the fed chair could have on the on the Lisa Cook case."
"Yeah. I mean, the issue with Jerome Powell is basically the same as the issue with Lisa Cook," he said, referencing a lawsuit over Trump's attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook in 2025. "And in both cases, Trump's kind of making up a sham reason or looking for a sham reason to try to interfere with the Fed's independence. I'm very surprised by the timing of this probe into Jerome Powell. As far as I can tell, I think it's a coincidence that the Justice Department decided to file these subpoenas essentially two weeks before the Supreme Court was going to hear... but like, are you stupid? Like, why would you antagonize the Court in that in that way? Why would you make it so obvious that something nefarious is going on here? Two weeks before the Supreme Court is about to hear this important case."
