Trump administration pushes to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook FAST-MOVING

Lisa Cook Federal Reserve Donald Trump mortgage fraud allegations Supreme Court ruling

The White House has renewed its effort to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. A letter dated August 5, signed by deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, gave Cook 21 days to respond to unproven mortgage‑fraud allegations, citing “sufficient reason to believe you made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements.” Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the Fed’s Board of Governors, denies the claims and her lawyer Abbe Lowell called the allegations baseless, saying there is no valid cause for removal.

The effort follows a June 5‑4 U.S. Supreme Court decision that blocked President Donald Trump from firing Cook, ruling that the president must provide proper notice and a chance to contest the accusations. The Court emphasized that the ruling was intended to preserve the Federal Reserve’s independence. The administration is appealing a lower‑court ruling that had been in Cook’s favor.

The mortgage‑fraud accusations stem from a criminal referral by Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, alleging Cook listed two homes – one in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and one in Atlanta, Georgia – as her primary residence on mortgage applications. Cook’s legal team argues the notation was isolated and accurate for the respective periods.

Entities: Abbe D. Lowell · Bill Pulte · Donald J. Trump · Donald Trump · Federal Reserve · Lisa Cook · U.S. Supreme Court · United States Supreme Court

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 12 SOURCES] Lisa Cook is the first Black woman to serve as a Federal Reserve governor. (existing)
[● 12 SOURCES] Lisa Cook’s lawyer called the mortgage‑fraud allegations baseless and said there is no valid cause for her removal. (existing)
[● 12 SOURCES] The White House sent a letter to Lisa Cook on August 5 giving her 21 days to respond to mortgage‑fraud allegations. (existing)
[● 12 SOURCES] The Supreme Court’s June ruling was intended to preserve the Federal Reserve’s independence. (existing)
[● 12 SOURCES] The U.S. Supreme Court in June issued a 5‑4 decision that blocked President Trump from firing Lisa Cook. (existing)
[● 3 SOURCES] President Trump previously cited mortgage fraud as a reason to try to fire Lisa Cook. (Reuters (ABC News))
[● 3 SOURCES] The Federal Reserve has not responded to requests for comment on the firing attempt. (Reuters (ABC News))
[● 3 SOURCES] President Donald J. Trump is moving forward with an attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. (Reuters (ABC News))
[● 3 SOURCES] The Trump administration is appealing a lower‑court ruling that had been in Cook’s favor. (new)
[● 12 SOURCES] President Donald Trump is moving forward with an attempt to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. (new)
[● 5 SOURCES] The mortgage‑fraud allegations stem from a criminal referral by Bill Pulte of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, accusing Cook of declaring two homes as primary residence. (new)