The former [Central Intelligence Agency](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/cia) director John Brennan has added his name to growing calls for the president to be ousted on grounds that he is unfit for the job, arguing that the US constitution’s 25th amendment addressing involuntary removal from office was “written with Donald Trump in mind”. Brennan, who served as head of the spy agency during Barack Obama’s presidency, told [MS Now](https://www.ms.now/ali-velshi/watch/fmr-cia-director-john-brennan-iran-didn-t-pose-an-imminent-threat-admin-lies-are-obvious-2496023107742) on Saturday that Trump’s recent volatile remarks about destroying Iranian civilization and the danger he posed to so many lives merited his removal from the Oval Office. “This person is clearly unhinged,” he said. “I think the 25th amendment was written with [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump) in mind.” Brennan added that Trump was too much of a liability to be allowed to continue to be commander-in-chief, with immense firepower at his disposal, including the US nuclear arsenal. The ex-CIA director’s comments cast him at the forefront of a mounting debate over Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran and his increasingly violent threats to inflict mass destruction on that country. On 7 April, [the president warned](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/07/israel-warns-iran-lives-at-risk-if-they-use-trains-trump-deadline) that Iran’s “whole civilisation will die tonight” if the Iranian regime failed to meet his ultimatum – a threat Brennan said hinted at the deployment of nuclear capabilities. As Trump has ramped up his aggressive and [expletive-filled](https://www.cnn.com/2026/04/08/us/word-of-week-fkin-cec) rhetoric, an increasing number of Democrats have responded by calling for the 25th amendment to be invoked. The measure, baked into the US constitution in 1967, allows for the vice-president and a majority of the cabinet to [remove the president](https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/amendments/amendment-xxv) on the basis that he is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office”. More than 70 Democrats in Congress have called for the amendment to be applied, according to the latest count by [NBC News](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/democrats-trump-removal-iran-threats-impeachment-25th-amendment-rcna267194). The chances of that actually happening are close to nil, given the lock-tight loyalty that continues to be shown to Trump by his vice-president, JD Vance, and his entire cabinet. However, concern about Trump’s increasingly charged language and dystopian threats are likely to persist given the failure of peace talks between the US and Iran on Saturday as well as the possibility of renewed hostilities. Brennan’s comments were especially striking given that he is under active investigation by Trump’s US justice department as part of the president’s vendetta against his perceived enemies. Under pressure from the White House, the justice department put Brennan and the former FBI director James Comey under [criminal investigation](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/trump-administration-targets-comey-brennan-new-investigation-rcna217713) in July. Two months later, Comey was charged with [two counts](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/25/james-comey-fbi-director-indictment) accusing him of lying to Congress during testimony in 2020 over the Russia election interference investigation. A judge has thrown out that prosecution. It is understood that the investigation into Brennan is ongoing. In March, the chair of the House judiciary committee, Trump ally Jim Jordan, claimed the inquiry was “[heating up](https://judiciary.house.gov/media/in-the-news/jim-jordan-says-probe-former-cia-director-john-brennan-heating-doj-seeks#:~:text=Jim%20Jordan%20says%20probe%20into,Russia%20to%20influence%20the%20election)”.

A federal prosecutor leading the investigation into former [CIA](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/cia) director John Brennan is no longer working on the case after expressing reservations about it, according to a person familiar with the matter. The prosecutor, Maria Medetis Long, informed attorneys involved in the case she was no longer handling it, [according to CNN](https://edition.cnn.com/2026/04/17/politics/prosecutor-running-john-brennan-investigation-removed), which first reported she was leaving the case. Medetis Long is a career attorney serving as the chief of the national security division in the US attorney’s office for the southern district of Florida. The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The investigation is said to be related to an assessment from the intelligence community following the 2016 election that Russia interfered to boost Donald Trump’s chances. Trump and his allies have long fumed about that conclusion. Jason Reding Quiñones, the US attorney in the southern district of Florida, has told justice department officials an indictment may be coming soon, according to the New York Times. The development comes after Trump fired attorney general Pam Bondi earlier this month, reportedly angry over the lack of progress on prosecuting political adversaries. Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, is said to want the job and Trump reportedly told him his time in the acting role would be a kind of audition, [according to Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-white-house-officials-encouraged-potential-bondi-replacement-make-case-trump-ag-job-sources). A former top aide to Blanche recently relocated from the department’s headquarters in Washington to the southern district of Florida and is reportedly working on the Brennan matter, [Bloomberg Law reported](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/justice-department-shakes-up-probe-into-alleged-trump-conspiracy). As Trump sought to prosecute the New York attorney general, Letitia James, last year, career prosecutors in Virginia expressed reservations about that case and were [fired from the department](https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/24/politics/beth-yusi-fired-letitia-james-case-information-email).

5 hours ago [Add as preferred on Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=bbc.com) Jemma CrewBusiness reporter Reuters The US justice department is dropping its investigation into the Federal Reserve chairman, Jerome Powell, over alleged building cost overruns. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said instead there would be an internal investigation led by the central bank's inspector general. President Donald Trump has said the cost of the Fed's building renovations were too high, as part of a long-standing feud with Powell. Powell's term is nearing its end and the US Senate is considering Trump's nominee for his replacement, Kevin Warsh. A key Republican, Thom Tillis, has withheld his support for Warsh unless the Trump administration would drop its investigation into Powell. "American taxpayers deserve answers about the Federal Reserve's fiscal mismanagement, and the Office of the Inspector General's more powerful authorities best position it to get to the bottom of the matter," said White House spokesman Kush Desai in a statement. "The White House remains as confident as before that the Senate will swiftly confirm Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve Chairman to finally restore competence and confidence in Fed decision-making." In her post on X, Pirro said she would not "hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so". The Fed declined to comment. The inspector general's office said it was "actively working to complete our review, and look forward to making the results available to the public and Congress upon completion", declining to comment on a timeline. July 2025: Watch Trump and Powell's awkward exchange Trump called for the Fed to lower interest rates after returning to office last year, and then began floating the idea of firing Powell - a step some said could be illegal. Amid months of attacks, he branded Powell a "knucklehead" and claimed he was "doing a lousy job" after his repeated calls for rate cuts were ignored. Powell took the highly unusual step of releasing a video in January disclosing that the justice department had served the Fed with subpoenas and threatened a criminal indictment over testimony he gave to a Senate committee about renovations to Federal Reserve buildings. Calling the investigation "unprecedented", Powell said he believed it was opened due to Trump's anger over the Fed's refusal to cut interest rates despite repeated public pressure from the president. Trump said he did not "know anything" about the investigation. It marked the first time Powell had publicly and robustly pushed back against the US president, as he warned that the independence of the US central bank was at stake. "This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions, or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation," Powell said. Lower interest rates make it cheaper to borrow, while higher rates dampen spending activity, helping to keep prices stable. Trump, who cut his teeth professionally taking out loans as a property developer, has long confessed to liking a low interest rate policy. He objected when the Fed raised rates in his first term, and has argued keeping rates too high could do unnecessary economic damage. [ Why Trump keeps attacking the US central bank --------------------------------------------- ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx20lyg4385o) The Fed buildings being renovated are the Eccles and 1951 Constitution Avenue. The "overhaul and modernisation" will be the first works since they were constructed in the 1930s, and includes removal of asbestos and lead contamination. Powell was nominated by Trump for the role as Fed chair in 2017 during his first term as president. Powell's term expires on 15 May, but he is planning to remain in post until his successor, Warsh, is confirmed by the Senate.

The US Department of Justice is dropping its criminal investigation against the Federal Reserve chair, [Jerome Powell](https://www.theguardian.com/business/jerome-powell), clearing the path for [Donald Trump](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/donaldtrump)’s new nominee for chair to be confirmed. Jeanine Pirro, Trump’s appointed US attorney for the District of Columbia, said in a social media post that she had directed her office to close its investigation into [renovations](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jul/21/us-federal-reserve-renovations) at the Fed headquarters that went over budget. “I have directed my office to close our investigation as the \[inspector general’s office\] undertakes this inquiry,” Pirro wrote. “Note well, however, that I will not hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so.” The investigation was first made public in January after Powell released a [video](https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/powell20260111a.htm) announcing he had been [subpoenaed](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/12/jerome-powell-investigation-explained) by the justice department. In rare, pointed remarks about the White House, Powell said the investigation was not actually about the Fed’s renovation but was a pretext meant to pressure the central bank to lower interest rates. “This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions – or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation,” Powell said at the time. The White House received bipartisan criticism over the investigation, including from Thom Tillis, the Republican senator [who said](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/16/thom-tillis-republican-senator) he would block the nomination of [Kevin Warsh](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/21/kevin-warsh-trump-federal-reserve), Trump’s pick to replace Powell, until the justice department ends its investigation. “Let’s get rid of the investigation so I can support your nomination,” Tillis told Warsh during his Senate [hearing](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/21/kevin-warsh-federal-reserve-senate-trump) on Tuesday. Trump has been [at](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/28/federal-reserve-holds-rates-powell-trump) [loggerheads](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/15/trump-threatens-fire-fed-chair-jerome-powell) [with](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/13/jerome-powell-fed-chair-trump) [Powell](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/01/trump-jerome-powell-tariffs-federal-reserve) over interest rate policy – branding the Fed chair a [“moron”](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/01/trump-jerome-powell-tariffs-federal-reserve) for voting against rate cuts. Despite the growing pressure to end the investigation, Trump last week [doubled down](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/15/trump-threatens-fire-fed-chair-jerome-powell) on the search, saying that “whether it’s incompetence, corruption or both, I think you have to find out”. But Republicans needed Tillis’s tie-breaking vote to get Warsh through the Senate’s banking committee. Powell’s term will end on 15 May. A former investment banker and Fed governor, Warsh in his hearing made clear that he is aligned with Trump on wanting lower interest rates, drawing concerns from Democrats over whether he would be able to keep the central bank [independent](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/22/trump-fed-chair-kevin-warsh-interest-rate-cut) from the White House. The Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren was highly critical of Warsh at the Senate hearing. After the announcement that the Powell investigation had been dropped, she said: “This is just an attempt to clear the path for Senate [Republicans](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/republicans) to install President Trump’s sock puppet Kevin Warsh as Fed Chair.” Economists largely agree that a non-political, independent central bank is essential for a stable economy. Even with the end of Powell’s investigation, Trump’s prolonged battle with the Fed is not over yet. The supreme court still has to rule on whether Trump’s firing of Lisa Cook, the Fed governor who was temporarily [reinstated](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/18/trump-supreme-court-lisa-cook-fed) by a federal court, [was constitutional](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/21/supreme-court-trump-fed-governor-case). The court is expected to release a ruling by June.

WASHINGTON -- WASHINGTON (AP) — [The Republican senator](https://apnews.com/hub/thom-tillis) who had effectively blocked confirmation of President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the [Federal Reserve](https://apnews.com/hub/federal-reserve-system) said Sunday he was dropping his opposition after the [Department of Justice ended its investigation](https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-investigation-powell-justice-department-28d04cc0d99cda25cea69931f65e25d3) of the [current central bank chair](https://apnews.com/hub/jerome-powell). The announcement by Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina removes a big hurdle to Trump's effort to install [Kevin Warsh](https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-kevin-warsh-jerome-powell-dd88a3f06eddcada4db555fe11e547eb), a former high-ranking Fed official, in the job in place of Jerome Powell, long under White House pressure to [lower interest rates](https://apnews.com/article/inflation-trump-federal-reserve-warsh-bcaac06bfee8bb92a900366b2d03ce01). Tillis' opposition was enough to stall the nomination in the GOP-controlled Senate Banking Committee as Powell neared the scheduled end of his term on May 15. “I am prepared to move on with the confirmation of Mr. Warsh. I think he’s going to be a great Fed chair,” Tillis told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” two days after the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia said her office’s investigation of the Fed’s multibillion-dollar building renovations was over. Powell's brief congressional testimony last summer about that work was also under review. The Fed's internal watchdog is scrutinizing a project, now at $2.5 billion after earlier estimates had put it at $1.9 billion, that the Republican president has [criticized for cost overruns](https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-building-renovations-trump-powell-70cfb70f2c09105c2a144179d5d92e69). Powell had asked in July for the [inspector general's review](https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-building-powell-trump-b977d3a2f77335c7f1f66fe178287176). “I believe that there will not be any wrongdoing. May we find a little stupid here in terms of somebody responsible for the project making a decision they shouldn't? Maybe. But it doesn’t rise to a criminal prosecution. That was my problem to begin with because I feel like there were prosecutors in D.C. that thought this was going to be a lever to have Mr. Powell leave early," he said. Tillis, who infuriated Trump in June for opposing his big tax and spending cuts bill over Medicaid reductions and then announced [he would not seek reelection](https://apnews.com/article/thom-tillis-trumps-big-bill-election-north-carolina-51ba539bb59921324c663fe99ca32055) in 2026, added that he had received assurances from the Justice Department that “the case is completely and fully settled … and that the only way an investigation would be opened would be a criminal referral from one of the most respect inspector generals.” The committee on Saturday said it planned to vote Wednesday on Warsh's nomination. The ranking Democrat, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, responded with a statement that "no Republican claiming to care about Fed independence should support moving forward the nomination of Kevin Warsh, who proved in his nomination hearing to be nothing more than President Trump’s sock puppet.” At a hearing last week, Warsh told senators he never promised the White House that he would cut interest rates and pledged to be “an independent actor” if confirmed as chair. Hours before that, Trump had been asked in a CNBC interview whether he would be disappointed if Warsh did not immediately cut rates. “I would,” the president said. Without the constraints of a political campaign, Tillis has spoken out forcefully about Powell, decrying the inquiry by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a longtime Trump ally, as a “vindictive prosecution” and suggested it threatened the Fed’s longtime independence from day-to-day politics. Tillis told NBC that he had gotten assurances from the Justice Department that he needed "to feel like they were not using DOJ as a weapon to threaten the independence of the Fed. So this will allow Mr. Warsh to move on with his confirmation.” On Saturday, Trump was asked by reporters whether there was now smooth sailing for Warsh with the end of the Justice Department's investigation. “I imagine it's smooth,” Trump said, adding that his nominee “is going to be fantastic.” The president said he still wanted to find out “how can a building of that size cost ... whatever it’s going to be.” [Trump visited the Fed building](https://apnews.com/article/trump-federal-reserve-jerome-powell-145b0189a8c7acaab9fcfb097dc376c9) in July and, in front of television cameras, said the renovations would run $3.1 billion. Powell, standing next to him, said after looking at a paper presented to him by Trump, that the president's latest price tag was incorrect. [  ](https://abcnews.com/International/live-updates/iran-live-updates-marines-uss-tripoli-seized-iranian/?id=132196152) [  ](https://abcnews.com/Politics/trump-lady-removed-security-after-incident-white-house/story?id=132387016) [  ](https://abcnews.com/International/live-updates/iran-live-updates-us-blockade-irans-strait-hormuz/?id=131983647) The investigation was among several undertaken by the Justice Department into Trump’s perceived adversaries. For months it had failed to gain traction as prosecutors struggled to articulate a basis to suspect criminal conduct. Other efforts by the department to prosecute Trump’s adversaries, including New York state Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, and former FBI Director James Comey, [have also been unsuccessful](https://apnews.com/article/comey-james-justice-department-5ec1a59d152bc1fd000ade15e20745b5). Last month, a federal judge quashed Justice Department subpoenas issued to the Fed in the investigation, describing their purpose as “to harass and pressure Powell to resign” and open the path for a new chair. A prosecutor handling the Powell case had acknowledged at a closed-door court hearing that the government [had not found any evidence of a crime](https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-powell-subpoenas-trump-pirro-ab3dfc8278c8ae793e883f6bb9beff98). Pirro said Friday on X that she “will not hesitate to restart a criminal investigation should the facts warrant doing so.” The acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, told NBC on Sunday that ”there is no doubt that we will investigate" if the inspector general finds evidence of criminal conduct. Trump appointed Powell as chair in 2017 during his first administration and has for years attempted to pressure the central bank to cut short-term interest rate. Even after a new Fed chair is in place, Powell could elect to stay on the board to finish his term as a Fed governor, which lasts until January 2028. He has told reporters he had not yet decided whether to do so. Warsh is a financier and former member of the Fed’s board of governors. Trump [nominated him January](https://apnews.com/article/warsh-trump-federal-reserve-chair-6b4441263c1b7ecb40b96adf17adeea2).

_This story appeared in [The Logoff](https://www.vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump), a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. [Subscribe here](https://www.vox.com/pages/logoff-newsletter-trump-administration-updates)_. **Welcome to The Logoff:** President Donald Trump’s FBI director was the subject of an embarrassing story. Now, the FBI is going after the reporter. **What’s happening?** On Wednesday, [MS NOW reported](https://www.ms.now/news/fbi-investigating-leaks-to-journalist-who-wrote-explosive-article-on-kash-patel-sources) that the FBI launched a federal criminal investigation “focusing on” Atlantic reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick over a story she wrote last month about FBI Director Kash Patel. [The story](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/04/kash-patel-fbi-director-drinking-absences/686839/), which is sourced to more than two dozen people, describes Patel as paranoid, frequently drunk, and ill-equipped for the job of FBI director. Notably, however, it centers on Patel’s personal conduct in the role, and doesn’t contain any classified information. As MS NOW points out, that fact — as well as the investigation’s reported focus on Fitzpatrick rather than her sources — makes the investigation both abnormal and disturbing. (The FBI, for what it’s worth, has denied that any such investigation exists.) On Wednesday, Fitzpatrick published [a second story about Patel](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/05/kash-patel-fbi-bourbon/687066/?gift=otEsSHbRYKNfFYMngVFweGQA-zyeZDo2xA_cRrian4s) describing his habit of distributing customized bottles of bourbon engraved with his name, and sometimes signed. **What’s the context?** The reported investigation into Fitzpatrick is the latest in a long string of attacks on press freedom under the second Trump administration, including another investigation — since dropped — into a New York Times reporter who reported on Patel and his girlfriend’s use of FBI resources. The FBI also seized devices belonging to Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson earlier this year as part of a leak investigation reportedly targeting one of her sources. Natanson’s reporting [won her a Pulitzer Prize](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/business/media/hannah-natanson-washington-post-pulitzer.html) earlier this week. **What else should I know?** This isn’t even the only major FBI news from Wednesday: This morning, agents raided the office of Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas, who spearheaded a Democratic [redistricting effort](https://www.vox.com/politics/486357/virginia-redistricting-gerrymander-democrats-gop-middecade-referendum-fair-election-midterm-2026) in Virginia that has helped to stymie Trump’s attempts to gain an edge ahead of the midterm elections. The case reportedly centers on possible corruption allegations, but given Trump’s record of using investigations and indictments to [punish his political enemies](https://www.vox.com/politics/479064/trump-doj-democrats-indictment-national-guard-ice), the timing is conspicuous, to say the least. Good news, readers — the Denali Puppy Cam has returned with a new litter of sled dog puppies, named for America’s national parks. You can see them introduced to the camera [here](https://x.com/Interior/status/2051750094785953896?s=20), and watch the livestream [here](https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams-pups.htm). Have a great evening, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow! See More: * [Donald Trump](https://www.vox.com/donald-trump) * [Politics](https://www.vox.com/politics) * [The Logoff](https://www.vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump)