Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell was tricked into thinking he was speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the phone earlier in 2023, a Fed spokesperson confirmed to Axios on Thursday.
A pair of pro-Putin Russian pranksters, who have allegedly hit other high-level officials with similar phone calls, fooled the Fed chair in January, a spokesperson told Axios. Other reported victims include European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 24: Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell testifies during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on September 24, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“Chair Powell participated in a conversation in January with someone who misrepresented himself as the Ukrainian president,” the unnamed spokesperson said, according to Axios. “It was a friendly conversation and took place in a context of our standing in support of the Ukrainian people in this challenging time. No sensitive or confidential information was discussed.”
Video footage circulating purporting to be from the call appears to be edited and inaccurate, according to the Fed. In the clip, Powell can reportedly be heard saying inflation needs to be brought down, but that there may not be an easy way to do that.
The matter has been “referred to appropriate law enforcement,” the spokesperson told the outlet. The clips were circulated throughout Russian media, apparently the work of comedians Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, Bloomberg first reported. (RELATED: Jerome Powell Says Fed Is Ready To Hike Interest Rates Quicker Than Anticipated)
The ability of the two known Russian trolls to get on the phone with an official such as Powell raises questions about security and screening processes at the Federal Reserve.