Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell made phone calls to 13 lawmakers in January following the Department of Justice's decision to open a criminal investigation into the central bank leader.

According to Powell's public calendar, the calls occurred in the week after the DOJ probe was initiated. Each conversation lasted between 10 and 15 minutes, with Powell reaching out to members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The timing of the calls, coming immediately after the criminal investigation was announced, raises questions about Powell's outreach strategy during a period of heightened scrutiny. The Federal Reserve chair's calendar shows the communications were brief but spanned both chambers of Congress.

The Department of Justice has not publicly disclosed the specific nature or scope of the criminal probe into Powell. The Federal Reserve and Powell's office have not commented on the substance of the calls with lawmakers or whether they were related to the ongoing investigation.

Powell has served as Federal Reserve Chairman since 2018, having been nominated by President Trump and reconfirmed by President Biden. The central bank leader regularly communicates with members of Congress as part of his oversight responsibilities, though the concentration of calls following the DOJ announcement appears notable in its timing.