WASHINGTON — Pranksters posing as President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine tricked the chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome H. Powell, into having a conversation with them in January, according to video clips covered on Russian state television and posted online.
The ruse — apparently carried out by two Russian comedians who support President Vladimir V. Putin — involved asking Mr. Powell questions about the American and global economy. His comments appear to be in line with what he regularly expresses in public.
A Fed spokesperson said Mr. Powell participated in a conversation in January with someone who misrepresented himself as the Ukrainian president, noting that the discussion took place in the context of the central bank’s support for the Ukrainian people. The spokesperson said no sensitive or confidential information was discussed.
The video appears to have been edited, and the Fed said it could not confirm its accuracy. The matter has been referred to law enforcement, the spokesperson said.
The two men who carried out the prank have also tricked other global leaders, including Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank, and Angela Merkel, Germany’s former chancellor.
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