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DOJ Says It Won’t Reopen Criminal Probe Into Former Fed Chair Powell

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 5 outlets across the spectrum.

7 articles in total, 1 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

The U.S. Justice Department will not reopen a criminal investigation into former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over cost overruns on the central bank’s roughly $2.4–2.5 billion headquarters renovation, Attorney General Todd Blanche told Bloomberg News in an interview. Blanche said the department did not rule out future action if an independent audit uncovers evidence of criminal wrongdoing. His comments followed a Federal Reserve inspector general report that found no grounds for a criminal referral but identified significant management and oversight failures that contributed to the project’s rising costs. President Donald Trump, a longtime critic of Powell, called for his resignation after the report. New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said he would hire an independent auditor to verify the project’s costs. Powell has remained a Fed governor since stepping down as chair in May.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. The DOJ will not reopen a criminal investigation into Jerome Powell over the Fed renovation cost overruns.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  2. Attorney General Todd Blanche made the comments in an interview with Bloomberg News.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  3. The Fed's inspector general found no grounds for a criminal referral but cited management and oversight failures.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  4. Blanche left open the possibility of future DOJ action if an independent audit finds evidence of wrongdoing.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

  5. Donald Trump called for Powell's resignation after the inspector general's report.

    Reported byLeftCenter

Show 2 more pointsShow fewer points

  1. New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said he would hire an independent auditor to review the renovation's costs.

    Reported byLeftCenter

  2. The renovation project cost is estimated at roughly $2.4 to $2.5 billion.

    Reported byLeftCenterRight

How each side tells it

Compare views

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Bloomberg's own headlines state the DOJ decision plainly and factually; the Guardian publishes a Reuters-written report with a similarly neutral headline that adds context about Powell's successor.

    Powell Probe Isn't Being Reopened, Blanche Says
    BloombergLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    CNBC and the Financial Times both state the DOJ decision factually, with FT leading on a direct Blanche quote about oversight.

    US justice department will not reopen criminal probe of Fed’s Jay Powell
    Financial TimesCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet · 1 opinion

    The Washington Examiner reports the decision straightforwardly, while the New York Post runs an opinion piece framing the clearance as incomplete vindication and attacking Powell's broader tenure.

    Blanche: DOJ won’t reopen investigation into Jerome Powell
    Washington ExaminerRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right5

    fiascoscrewupsdismaloff the hook

In the outlets’ own words

  • Sensational language

    fiascoMore neutral: project

    Characterizes the renovation project with a dramatic, judgmental term rather than a neutral description.

    …of criminal wrongdoing in the Fed’s $2.5 billion “Palace of Versailles” headquarters fiasco — but what about the rest of his screwups as head of the nation’s central bank?

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    screwupsMore neutral: policy decisions

    Dismisses Powell's record with a derogatory, informal term rather than describing specific actions.

    …billion “Palace of Versailles” headquarters fiasco — but what about the rest of his screwups as head of the nation’s central bank?

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded modifier

    dismalMore neutral: widely debated

    Asserts a negative evaluation of Powell's tenure as settled fact rather than opinion.

    I’m not saying that Powell’s dismal, eight-plus year tenure as Fed chair was criminal in a legal sense, but it was hardly…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    off the hookMore neutral: cleared

    Frames a legal clearance as an escape from deserved punishment rather than a neutral finding of no wrongdoing.

    Jerome Powell off the hook for the ‘Palace of Versailles’ renovation — but he’s still guilty of being a lousy…

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

  • Loaded modifier

    lousy Fed ChairMore neutral: Fed chair whose tenure drew criticism

    Passes a subjective, negative judgement on Powell's performance rather than stating a fact.

    …for the ‘Palace of Versailles’ renovation — but he’s still guilty of being a lousy Fed Chair

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • DOJ decision not to reopen the probe
  • Blanche's comments to Bloomberg
  • possibility of future action
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • DOJ statement
  • inspector general findings on oversight failures
  • Trump's reaction to the report
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines
  • Financial TimesCenter

    US justice department will not reopen criminal probe of Fed’s Jay Powell

    US attorney-general Todd Blanche says not having ‘any oversight’ of the central bank’s $2.5bn renovation project ‘isn’t necessarily a crime’

    Read at Financial Times (opens in a new tab)
  • CNBCCenter

    DOJ says it will not reopen criminal probe into former Fed Chair Powell

    Jerome Powell, the 16th Chair for the U.S. Federal Reserve, during a moderated conversation at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, on Monday, March 30, 2026. …

    Read at CNBC (opens in a new tab)

From the right

1 outlet · 1 opinion

Leads with

  • DOJ clearing Powell of criminal wrongdoing
  • renovation cost overruns
  • criticism of Powell's performance as Fed chair (Post)

Leaves out

  • Fed inspector general's finding of no criminal referral grounds (Post excerpt focuses on opinion rather than this detail)

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
  • Washington ExaminerRight

    Blanche: DOJ won’t reopen investigation into Jerome Powell

    Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday that the Justice Department will not open its criminal investigation into former Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell following the release of an internal watchdog report that found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. …

    Read at Washington Examiner (opens in a new tab)
  • New York PostRightOpinion

    Jerome Powell Loaded verb“off the hook”Frames a legal clearance as an escape from deserved punishment rather than a neutral finding of no wrongdoing.More neutral: clearedDisagree with this highlight? for the ‘Palace of Versailles’ renovation — but he’s still guilty of being a Loaded modifier“lousy Fed Chair”Passes a subjective, negative judgement on Powell's performance rather than stating a fact.More neutral: Fed chair whose tenure drew criticismDisagree with this highlight?

    Jerome Powell was cleared of criminal wrongdoing in the Fed’s $2.5 billion “Palace of Versailles” headquarters Sensational language“fiasco”Characterizes the renovation project with a dramatic, judgmental term rather than a neutral description.More neutral: projectDisagree with this highlight? — but what about the rest of his screwups as head of the nation’s central bank?

    Read at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    Bloomberg, Oct 2, 2:57 PM EDT

  • Center

    53 min later

    Its first report, Oct 2, 3:50 PM EDT

  • Right

    8 hr later

    Its first report, Oct 2, 10:56 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. BloombergLeftOct 2, 2:57 PM EDT
  2. CNBCCenterOct 2, 3:50 PM EDT
  3. Financial TimesCenterOct 2, 5:03 PM EDT
  4. The GuardianLeftOct 2, 6:32 PM EDT
  5. Washington ExaminerRightOct 2, 10:56 PM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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