President Trump Revives Effort to Remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook

President Donald Trump has again moved to dismiss Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa D. Cook, arguing that she provided false statements on mortgage agreements. The latest push follows a five-page letter from Cook’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, to White House counsel David Warrington that characterizes the mortgage-fraud allegations as “unfounded and untrue.” The White House, through aide Dan Scavino, warned Cook that there is “sufficient reason to believe” she misrepresented her primary residence on one or more loans. Cook attended a Fed board meeting in Washington, D.C., on March 19, 2026, amid the controversy.

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The dispute traces back to a criminal referral from Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, who alleged that Cook listed two separate properties as her primary residence at the same time. The claim centers on Cook’s 2021 purchase of a condominium in Atlanta, which she reportedly marked as a primary residence on at least one mortgage document while maintaining a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan that was also designated as primary. Cook denied any wrongdoing and filed a lawsuit challenging the dismissal.

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Lowell’s defense argues that the Atlanta condo was labeled a primary residence due to an “entirely inadvertent oversight,” not fraud, and that Cook had earlier identified the property as a vacation home in the mortgage process. He notes that Cook received no preferential loan rate and was not yet a Fed nominee when the purchase occurred. Lowell also pointed to public reports indicating that Trump and several advisers made similar primary-residence designations on their own mortgages. The Supreme Court, in a decision issued in late June, blocked Trump’s earlier attempt to fire Cook on procedural grounds, but left open the possibility of a renewed action.

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Trump’s motivation for removal is linked to his desire for the Fed to sharply lower interest rates. Removing a governor appointed by former President Joe Biden could shift the board’s composition and influence future monetary-policy decisions, though the legal outcome remains uncertain.

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The White House’s deadline for a response, set three weeks after Scavino’s letter, remains pending. Cook’s lawsuit and the administration’s renewed filing are expected to proceed through the courts, with further rulings likely to shape the Fed’s leadership and policy direction.

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