From Epstein to sock puppets: Key takeaways from Kevin Warsh's Fed confirmation hearing

kevin warsh faced a fiery senate confirmation hearing for fed chair, clashing with democrats over his independence and past financial ties. elizabeth warren accused him of being trump's "sock puppet" who would cut rates to benefit the president's interests, a charge warsh denied. she also pressed him on his $100m+ investment fund and potential links to jeffrey epstein, noting his name appears in epstein's doj files. warsh declined to detail the fund's assets but promised to divest if confirmed. warsh denied making any deal with trump on interest rates, despite a 2023 report that trump pressed him to cut them. he vowed "regime change" at the fed, criticizing its forward guidance and suggesting a new inflation framework beyond the pce index. republican senator thom tillis withheld support, demanding an end to a probe into outgoing chair jerome powell over fed building renovation costs first.