Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to become the next Federal Reserve chair, has been asked by the ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee to explain what, if any, relationship he had with the late convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a vocal critic of the former Fed governor, sent Warsh a March 18 letter demanding clarification on his potential relationship with the late pedophile. Warren cited two emails that suggested Warsh may have been invited to events Epstein appears to have been organizing.
Warsh has not been accused of any crimes or wrongdoing connected to Epstein.
He was named in a tranche of documents released by the Department of Justice on Jan. 30, 2026, related to the investigation and prosecution of Epstein and his close confidante Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
Warren’s letter referred to communications by Epstein employees regarding a 2010 holiday party on the island of St. Barthélemy, often referred to as St. Barth’s.
Warren asked Warsh to confirm whether he’d traveled to the island of St. Barthélemy in late 2010 or early 2011, and whether he’d attended any social functions where Epstein was present.
Warren also asked Warsh to confirm whether he’d been in the presence of Maxwell.
Sen. Warren’s letter also seeks President Trump’s links to Epstein
The letter asked if Trump, who was once associated with Epstein and who appeared extensively in the government document release, attended any of the gatherings.
Warren also asked Warsh to provide any communications with others associated directly with Epstein, and to detail any other interactions with Epstein or Maxwell not noted in the files thus far made available by the government.
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The letter requested a response by March 31. Warren emphasized that the American public had a right to understand Warsh’s possible interactions, noting that they allegedly occurred after Epstein had already been convicted of sex crimes involving a minor.
Warsh, currently a fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, did not immediately respond to a request by TheStreet for comment.
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Warren has frequently attacked Warsh’s nomination
Warren has repeatedly questioned Warsh’s ability to remain independent from the White House, arguing that he has shifted his economic views to align with the president’s attempts to increase executive control over the central bank.
She has called Warsh “Donald Trump’s sock pocket at the Fed,” claiming his recent dovish statements on interest rates and inflation reflect Trump’s sharp rhetoric for drastically lower interest rates.
During the search for Powell’s replacement, the president repeatedly made it clear that he would not nominate someone who did not agree with his outlook.
However, Trump also told reporters that he did not ask Warsh, a 55-year-old lawyer, to lower rates once he assumed the chair.
Warsh’s nomination path stalled at Senate
The timeline of Warsh’s nomination to replace Powell remains unclear. Hearings before the Senate Banking Committee, expected to take place in March, have not been scheduled.
A federal judge March 13 quashed two subpoenas from the Department of Justice in a criminal investigation into Powell’s testimony to Congress over cost overruns of the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation of its headquarters.
Related: Warsh nomination stirs Fed independence fears on Wall Street
Both the judge and Powell called the probe a pretext by the Trump administration to lower interest rates dramatically over the past 14 months. The DOJ plans to appeal.
Meanwhile, retiring Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) has said he will block Warsh’s nomination at the Senate Banking Committee until the entire DOJ investigation is dropped.
As I reported previously, Powell, whose term as chair ends May 15, said March 18 that if there is no Senate-confirmed replacement by that time, he will stay on as chair pro temp.
Powell added that he had “no intention of leaving” the Fed board until the DOJ investigation is “truly over.”
His term as a Fed governor ends May 2028, and he shared that he has “not made up my mind whether I will stay” if the criminal investigation ends prior to that timeline.
Related: Kevin Warsh’s net worth: The Trump Fed nominee’s wealth & income
