Four Senate Democrats Demand Fed Chair Kevin Warsh Disclose the Trump Calls Missing From His Calendar

Sens. Chris Van Hollen, Jack Reed, Angela Alsobrooks and Elizabeth Warren, all on the Senate Banking Committee, wrote to Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh on Aug. 19 asking him to disclose his communications with President Trump. The letter followed Wall Street Journal reporting that the two have spoken repeatedly since Warsh was confirmed in April to replace Jerome Powell, though his released calendars list no such calls. The senators wrote that his refusal to confirm the talks raises "sincere doubts about the independent conduct of monetary policy."

Central bank independence is a norm rather than a statutory shield, and its practical content is whether a chair's contacts with a president are visible enough to be judged.

Warsh told the House Financial Services Committee last month that the Fed would "remain independent on my watch." A Fed spokesperson told The Hill its listing practice has not changed and that schedules are released a month late.