Musalem says Powell video was “very clear and very direct” – MNI Webcast

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WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) – ‍Fed chair Jerome Powell’s statement calling a Trump administration criminal investigation ‌of him a “pretext” ‌for a dispute over interest rates was “very clear and very direct,” ​St. Louis Fed president ‍Alberto Musalem ​said on ​Tuesday, but added ‍he would not comment further on a “legal matter.”

“What I will say ‍is that central bank independence with respect to ‍monetary ‍policy is ​a valuable ​asset ⁠for a country,” ‌Musalem said on an MNI Webcast.

(Reporting by Howard Schneider; Editing by Chizu ⁠Nomiyama )