United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wants the Senate Banking Committee to move ahead with the confirmation hearings for Federal Reserve chair nominee Kevin Warsh, even as a Department of Justice investigation into current Fed chair Jerome Powell remains unresolved.

During a Fox News interview, Bessent pushed back on Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who has threatened to delay the confirmation process until the Department of Justice investigation into the current Fed chair is concluded.

“Senator Tillis has come out and said he thinks that Kevin Warsh is an extreme candidate, So I would say, why don’t we get the hearings underway and see where Jeanine Pirro’s investigation goes?” Bessent said.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, opened a probe on Jan. 9 tied to Powell’s congressional testimony, which addressed cost overruns linked to a $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed’s headquarters and nearby buildings. Prosecutors are investigating whether Powell misled lawmakers about the scope and expense of the renovation project.

Powell has denied any wrongdoing and said the investigation is being used as a political pretext following his resistance to Donald Trump’s demands for faster interest rate cuts.

As previously reported by crypto.news, Senator Tillis has said he would block all Fed nominations until the Justice Department concludes its probe into Powell, even though he considers Warsh a “qualified” and “strong” candidate for the position.

“I’d be one of the first people to introduce Mr. Warsh if we’re behind this and support him, but not before this matter is settled,” Tillis said in a recent interview appearance. 

Warsh was nominated by Trump on Jan. 30 and now awaits a Senate Banking Committee review hearing, following which the panel will vote on whether to advance his nomination to the full Senate. If the full Senate confirms the nominee, he will be officially appointed as the next Federal Reserve chair.

Crypto market reacts to Warsh nomination

Warsh’s nomination as the next Fed chair has had an immediate impact on the price of Bitcoin (BTC) and the broader crypto market, as he is viewed as a hawkish policymaker by the vast majority of analysts. Right after his nomination, the price of Bitcoin fell below $82,000 after weeks of trading above that level, while the total crypto market capitalization dropped to $2.8 trillion.

The trading sessions that followed saw more than $2.5 billion in liquidations of leveraged long positions, which subsequently pushed the flagship crypto below several key support levels and intensified downside volatility.

As of press time, Bitcoin has dropped over 20% since Warsh’s nomination.