Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah., speaks to reporters as he arrives for the Senate Republicans’ lunch meeting in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, on Tuesday reportedly shared and then hastily deleted a fake, apparently AI-generated letter purporting to show Jerome Powell resigning as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
The phony letter — addressed to “The President” — featured a garbled Fed seal with non-English characters and a slightly misshapen depiction of an eagle, as well as some unusual text spacing.
“After much reflection, I have decided to resign from my position as Chair of the Board of governors of the Federal Reserve System, effective at the close of business today, July 22, 2025,” the letter read.
It was posted on Lee’s verified personal X account, @BasedMikeLee, according to journalists at Politico who took screenshots of the post before it was deleted.
“Powell’s out!” Lee wrote in between two emojis of red flashing sirens, the screenshots show.
Powell has not resigned.
A reporter for The Hill wrote on X that Lee said he deleted his post “out of an abundance of caution” because he was not sure if the letter was legitimate.
Lee’s office did not immediately respond to CNBC’s requests for comment.
CNBC has requested comment from the Fed.
The letter surfaced as President Donald Trump has bludgeoned Powell with criticism and urged him resign his leadership role at the central bank.
Trump wants the Fed to sharply lower interest rates to spur economic growth. But the Fed so far has declined to cut rates this year.
Benny Johnson, a prominent conservative media personality, also briefly posted the fake Powell letter, but later acknowledged the mistake in a subsequent post.
“The Jerome Powell letter is fake. Please don’t share it. Sorry. Bad look,” Johnson wrote.
“I still want Jerome Powell to resign really bad,” he added.
