Will the appointment of Waller be delayed? The Trump administration requests the judge to reconsider the decision to revoke the subpoena against Powell

Lawyers for the Trump administration on Monday requested U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg to reconsider his previous ruling that quashed a grand jury subpoena against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. This move appears to fulfill the promise made by Washington D.C. federal prosecutor Jeanine Pirro to appeal to a higher U.S. court.In the motion for reconsideration submitted on Monday, U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors stated that the court "applied the wrong legal standard, made errors in judgment on certain factual issues, and ignored other relevant facts." The prosecution argued that as long as there is a "reasonable possibility" that the categories of materials sought by the government could yield "information relevant to the overall theme of the grand jury investigation," subpoenas should be allowed; even if the recipient of the subpoena "has presented seemingly reasonable alternative motive theories," this should not prevent the issuance of the subpoena.This document was submitted two days after Judge Boasberg blocked two grand jury subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve Board. The judge at that time believed that these subpoenas were merely a "pretext" aimed at pressuring Powell to lower interest rates or resign from his position as Federal Reserve Chairman.On Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice argued that the Federal Reserve Board "has never denied" that these subpoenas only pertain to materials directly related to the subject of the grand jury investigation: including budget overruns for the renovation project at the Washington headquarters—estimated to exceed $1 billion, which is "quite astonishing" even by Washington standards—and Powell's testimony before Congress.This request comes at a time when Boasberg had just ruled to prohibit the prosecutor's office led by Pirro from continuing to pursue records and testimony subpoenas related to the Federal Reserve investigation. In the subsequently unsealed ruling, he stated that the Department of Justice had no evidence whatsoever that Powell had committed any crime, other than making Trump unhappy.Boasberg wrote: "Were the prosecutors issuing these subpoenas for a legitimate purpose? The court does not believe so. There is ample evidence that the primary, if not sole, purpose of these subpoenas was to harass and pressure Powell to either concede to the president or resign, making way for a Federal Reserve Chairman willing to do so."This ruling stems from a criminal investigation initiated by Pirro in January of this year, which focuses on Powell's testimony to the Senate Banking Committee in June 2025, with the investigation centered on the renovation project at the Federal Reserve's Washington headquarters over the years.Powell publicly disclosed this investigation in January, calling it an attack on the independence of the Federal Reserve.Pirro stated last Friday that the Department of Justice would appeal to a higher court, calling the ruling "shocking." She said at a press conference: "This process has been arbitrarily disrupted by an activist judge." She accused Boasberg of placing himself at the entrance of the grand jury, directly closing the door without regard for legal procedures, thereby preventing the grand jury from conducting the work it was supposed to do.If an appeal is filed, it could prolong Trump's efforts to oust Powell from the Federal Reserve and replace him with his choice—former Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh. Republican Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina mentioned this on social media last FridayOn Sunday night, Trump also criticized Boasberg on the social media platform Truth Social, claiming he suffers from "the highest level of Trump Delusion Syndrome," and accused the judge of "targeting me and my team for years."In last week's ruling, Boasberg also listed several posts where Trump criticized Powell on social media, as well as his pressure on Powell regarding interest rates and his insinuation that someone else should replace him as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Boasberg wrote in the ruling: "In recent years, those viewed as opponents of the president have become increasingly risky. During his second term, Trump has urged the Justice Department to prosecute these individuals, and the prosecutors at the Justice Department have complied with this request."