Former U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) responded to the Trump administration’s controversial DOJ investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell. The DOJ is reportedly focused on cost overruns, overseen by Powell, on Fed building renovations in Washington, D.C., which the administration suggests could be a criminal matter.
Note: Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), contend that the DOJ investigation is not a legitimate prosecution, but is instead an attempt at Fed coercion by the Executive Branch.
Murkowski said: “If the Department of Justice believes an investigation into Chair Powell is warranted based on project cost overruns—which are not unusual—then Congress needs to investigate the Department of Justice.”
After speaking with Chair Powell this morning, it’s clear the administration’s investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion. If the Department of Justice believes an investigation into Chair Powell is warranted based on project cost overruns—which are not…
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) January 12, 2026
McCaskill, a former prosecutor, wrote on social media: “As someone who had a front row seat to watch the Pentagon budget and expenditures during my time on the Armed Services Committee, if cost overruns are criminal Hegseth better lawyer up.”
As someone who had a front row seat to watch the Pentagon budget and expenditures during my time on the Armed Services Committee, if cost overruns are criminal Hegseth better lawyer up.
— Claire McCaskill (@clairecmc) January 14, 2026
On Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boasted about President Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget to a group of employees at a Lockheed Martin facility in Texas. The SecDef characterized the more than 50 percent increase as a “message to the world” that the U.S. is “rebuilding our military.” (The 2026 FY Defense Budget is $901 billion, before overruns.)
Note: As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee during the first Trump administration, McCaskill called for nuclear weapons modernization and was one of the five Democrats who voted to support the President’s $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia.