The Financial Post reports in its Monday edition that Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell has largely avoided conflict amid President Donald Trump's criticism, but recently he has begun to publicly resist these attacks. An Agence France-Presse dispatch to the Post reports that on Jan. 11, Mr. Powell accused the Trump administration of threatening him with prosecution to push the Fed into cutting interest rates and warned that a new Department of Justice investigation targeting him threatened the central bank's independence. Harvard University professor Jason Furman say: "What made the statement so powerful is how rare it is. A year ago, Powell got a question about Donald Trump and the Fed, and gave a one-word answer. He has not wanted to be baited into a fight." Mr. Furman says the fact that Mr. Powell felt the need to respond forcefully now "conveys just how serious the issue is." Brookings senior fellow David Wessel says, "Trump pushed him too far this time, and he came out with all guns blazing." Mr. Wessel expects the forceful response will cement Mr. Powell's legacy as "a Fed chair with a spine." Mr. Wessel says, "He will be seen as the guy who stood up for the independence of the Fed, and the rule of law."