Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was outraged on Wednesday after CNBC host Sara Eisen drew parallels between her commentary and that of President Donald Trump.
Sparks flew on Capitol Hill earlier this week when Warren accused Federal Reserve nominee Kevin Warsh of being a potential “sock puppet” for Trump. Warsh, tapped by Trump in January to lead the Federal Reserve, faced a two-and-a-half-hour confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.
If confirmed, he would take the helm of the world’s most powerful central bank, shaping interest rates, borrowing costs and the financial outlook for millions of American households for the next four years.
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In her opening remarks, Warren sharply criticized Warsh’s record and questioned his independence, arguing he was “uniquely ill-suited for the job as Fed chair” and warning he could give Trump influence over the central bank. Warren spoke about this exchange on CNBC.
“If we have a Fed chair who is listening to a President of the United States who said, ‘Oh, tariffs don’t cost anything,’ ‘Oh, blockade in the Strait of Hormuz does not raise prices,’ ‘Oh, prices are not going up.’ We have a president who thinks he can bend reality,” Warren warned. “We need a Fed chair who can actually assert reality. That was the test I was looking for. Kevin Warsh can’t do it.”
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“I mean, you yourself have been very outspoken on this show and otherwise on what the Fed should be doing. You also advocated for Lael Brainard and Janet Yellen, who you were aligned with on policy views,” Eisen replied. I mean that this is — this isn’t that different, you know, with the president expressing what he wants in terms of policy and who he wants.”
Warren appeared immediately outraged by the comparison.
“I’m sorry. Is that real? It is not different to just say, ‘Here’s my opinion and here’s how I read the numbers’ and ‘Here’s who I think has a good track record?’” she asked. “You think that’s the same as being the President of the United States and employing the Department of Justice to bring criminal charges against someone, sending someone a notice that they have been fired?”
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She went on to argue, “Donald Trump is not expressing an opinion. Donald Trump is trying to control the Fed. You know it and I know it.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and did not receive an immediate reply.
