Fed's Powell says administration has threatened criminal indictment over his Senate testimony

WASHINGTON, Jan 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said on Sunday the Trump administration has threatened him with a criminal indictment over Congressional testimony he gave last summer, sending subpoenas to the Fed on Friday in what he called a "pretext" aimed at furthering pressure on him in a dispute with President Donald Trump over interest rates.

"On Friday, the Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve with grand jury subpoenas, threatening a criminal indictment related to my testimony before the Senate Banking Committee last June," Powell said in a statement on Sunday night.