Azoria Capital CEO Slams Powell as "Money Launderer" as Emergency Hearing Looms Over Secret Fed Meetings

• The Legal Showdown That Could Crack Open the Fed's Black Box
• Why the Fed's "Financial Speculation" Defense Doesn't Hold Water
• How Public FOMC Meetings Could Reshape Market Dynamics
• The Taxpayer-Funded Irony Few Are Discussing
• Q&A: Understanding the Azoria v. Powell Case

In a bombshell Friday night interview, Azoria Capital founder James Fishback accused Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell of running "a daylight money laundering operation" while filing a federal lawsuit demanding transparency in FOMC meetings. With an emergency hearing granted for Monday - just one day before the scheduled policy meeting - this legal battle could fundamentally alter how America sees interest rate decisions being made behind closed doors.

The Legal Showdown That Could Crack Open the Fed's Black Box

James Fishback isn't mincing words. The Azoria Capital CEO dropped a legal grenade in Washington D.C. this Thursday, filing "Azoria v. Powell" under the 1976 Government Sunshine Act. His demand? Force the Fed to conduct next week's crucial FOMC meeting in public view. "They're violating federal law while operating in secrecy," Fishback told me during our late-night conversation. "Americans deserve to see how decisions impacting their mortgages and credit cards get made."

Obama-appointed Judge Barl Howard clearly sees merit in the argument, scheduling an emergency hearing for Monday - cutting it razor-close to Tuesday's scheduled policy session. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order that WOULD block the meeting unless conducted publicly. What makes this particularly spicy? Fishback's characterization of Powell's operation as "daylight money laundering" - a phrase that's already going viral in financial circles.

Why the Fed's "Financial Speculation" Defense Doesn't Hold Water

The Fed's legal team argues sunlight would cause market chaos, claiming the Sunshine Act shouldn't apply to FOMC because it's merely a "subdivision." Fishback demolishes this logic: "They admit the Fed falls under the law, so how does its most powerful rate-setting component get excluded? That's not legal reasoning - that's a transparency loophole big enough to drive a Brinks truck through."

He particularly scorches the speculation argument: "Powell gives interviews and releases minutes that MOVE markets constantly. Remember January 2022 when he told reporters no rate hike was coming? If that's not fueling speculation, I don't know what is." The fact that Judge Howard wants to hear Powell's lawyers Monday suggests this isn't just another dismissed transparency lawsuit - most TROs get denied without hearings.

How Public FOMC Meetings Could Reshape Market Dynamics

"Wall Street's sleeping on this," Fishback warns. "They don't think it'll happen." But if the restraining order hits? He predicts the Fed would delay briefly to set up live streams rather than defy a federal judge. "The optics of fighting transparency in court would be disastrous for them."

The implications run deep. Currently, traders parse Powell's Wednesday press conferences like tea leaves - his tie color, speech duration, and word choices all get scrutinized. Public meetings would shift volatility to Tuesday as viewers watch policy debates unfold live. "We'd see who brings real data versus political bias," Fishback notes, suggesting some members subtly cater to political winds despite claims of independence.

He highlights Governor Chris Waller as particularly interesting to watch: "Right now you just see his dissent in statements. On camera? We'd hear his reasoning and who pushes back." This level of transparency could revolutionize how markets interpret Fed decisions beyond the current "black box" approach.

The Taxpayer-Funded Irony Few Are Discussing

Fishback saves special criticism for the Fed's ongoing DC building renovations - "a taxpayer-funded monument to opacity." His point cuts deep: "The people paying for this have no idea what happens inside. That's the problem." With mortgage rates swinging wildly based on FOMC decisions, his push for transparency strikes at fundamental questions about democratic accountability in central banking.

As Monday's hearing approaches, one thing's clear: this isn't just another activist lawsuit. Fishback's framing the debate in terms Americans understand - daylight, laundering, and their hard-earned money. Whether Judge Howard agrees could determine if the most powerful financial committee on earth keeps meeting in shadows or finally steps into sunlight.

Q&A: Understanding the Azoria v. Powell Case

What law is Azoria Capital using against the Fed?

The 1976 Government Sunshine Act requires federal decision-making bodies to conduct business publicly. Fishback argues this absolutely applies to the rate-setting FOMC.

Why call Powell a "money launderer"?

It's provocative rhetoric highlighting how monetary policy decisions effectively redistribute wealth while being made secretly - like "cleaning" money through opaque processes.

Could this really force Fed meetings public?

If Judge Howard grants the restraining order, the Fed would face choosing between unprecedented transparency or openly defying a federal court order days before a critical meeting.

How would markets react to public FOMC meetings?

Analysts predict volatility would shift from Powell's post-meeting comments to real-time policy debates, potentially revealing divisions and reasoning currently hidden in the "black box."