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... "I haven't seen the case or whatever the allegations or charges are, but I'd say they better be real and they better be serious," Thune told reporters on his way to the Senate floor Monday.

The Senate GOP leader expressed his views in more detail later Monday when he said the independence of the Fed needs to be respected.

"It needs to be resolved quickly because the Fed's role and the Fed's independence in shaping monetary policy in the country is something we need to ensure proceeds without political interference," Thune said.

Thune offered stronger pushback on the Justice Department's investigation of Powell than Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who earlier on Monday defended the Justice Department's impartiality and said he wanted to see how its investigation would unfold.

"No, the Justice Department is not being weaponized," Johnson told reporters on Monday. "It was for four years under Biden-Harris so that is what everybody expects." ...