NEW: Trump Nemesis Referred To DOJ For Prosecution After ‘Lying Under Oath’

A Republican member of Congress has referred a key Trump nemesis on Capitol Hill for criminal prosecution, telling investigators that his negligent handling of cost overruns at his agency was dangerously delinquent.

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) called on the U.S. Department of Justice to bring charges against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, citing his recent testimony before members of Congress. Luna said Powell’s answers under oath amounted to perjury based on the nature of ballooning costs for a complete renovation of the Fed’s Washington, D.C. headquarters.

The criminal referral comes as Trump and allies increase pressure on Powell to fall in line with the president’s demand that he lower rates and speed up economic activity.

“On June 25, 2025, Chairman Powell provided testimony under oath before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs regarding the renovation of the Federal Reserve’s Eccles Building. In his statements, he made several materially false claims,” Luna’s office states in her letter to the DOJ.

She specified Powell’s dismissal of claims that opulent additions have been made to the original plans, including an executive dining room and elevators.

“Separately, in a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought, Chairman Powell characterized the changes that escalated the cost of the project from $1.9 billion to $2.5 billion as minor. However, documents reviewed by congressional investigators indicate that the scope and cost overruns of this project were neither minor in nature nor in substance,” the letter goes on.

Instead, Powell has claimed that the cost of building materials, especially steel and concrete, has risen from traditional economic headwinds. He also said during testimony that construction was streamlined to simplify the project and avoid further delays, a claim that Luna slammed as false.

“It is contradicted by the Federal Reserve’s final submission to the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and by the assertions made in Director Vought’s own original letter to Chairman Powell,” Luna wrote.

“According to those records, the revised plan includes a VIP private dining room, premium marble finishes, modernized elevators, water features, and a roof terrace garden—features that Powell publicly denied existed. While Powell presented the changes as simplifications, the actual project plans suggest the opposite.”

Luna first announced on X last week that she planned to refer Powell for criminal charges.

Perjury before Congress carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, Fox News reports.

Powell has denied all accusations of perjury and called for a government watchdog to launch a formal investigation into the construction of the new Eccles Building, according to trade publication Mortgage Professional.

Luna previously wrote on social media that President Trump would “likely fire” Powell as a result of his alleged mismanagement of the project.

However, Trump contradicted her last week when he announced that he is “not planning” to fire Powell anytime soon. Doing so, allies of Powell have argued, would send U.S. markets into a tailspin. They also point to a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that appeared to suggest that the Fed chair’s tenure is independent from the executive branch.