Kevin Warsh, chair of the US Federal Reserve. [Xinhua]
Kevin Warsh, chair of the US Federal Reserve. [Xinhua]

Democratic senators have called on Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh to explain allegations that he has been in informal contact with President Donald Trump.

Four Democratic senators, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen, sent a letter to Warsh on Wednesday demanding he disclose details of any calls with Trump, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The senators asked Warsh to make public all communications with Trump since taking office, or to confirm in writing that no such contact had occurred.

"Informal contact between the president and the Fed chair risks creating the perception that the White House is dictating monetary policy," the senators wrote.

The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported, citing anonymous sources, that Warsh spoke with Trump multiple times since being confirmed in May.

Trump told reporters on Aug. 10 that he had spoken with Warsh only once — "briefly, a few days ago."

However, Warsh's monthly public calendar released by the Fed contains no record of any calls or meetings with Trump. At a congressional hearing last month, Warsh also declined to directly answer Van Hollen's questions about whether he had been in contact with the president.

His predecessor, Jerome Powell, kept minute-by-minute logs of calls with Trump and promptly disclosed three in-person meetings with the president — in 2019 and 2025.

Direct communication between Trump and Warsh is unusual by decades of established practice between the White House and the Fed. According to the Wall Street Journal, US presidents and Fed chairs have generally communicated through the Treasury secretary since the 1980s.


quq@heraldcorp.com