WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has renewed its effort to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, giving her three weeks to respond to allegations of mortgage fraud after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked an earlier attempt on procedural grounds.
A White House letter dated Aug. 5 said President Donald Trump was considering removing Cook over allegations that she made false statements on mortgage applications for properties in Michigan and Georgia in 2021, before she joined the Federal Reserve. The letter gave Cook until Aug. 26 to respond.
Cook has denied wrongdoing. Her attorney, Abbe Lowell, has called the allegations baseless and politically motivated and said Cook would challenge any renewed attempt to remove her. Cook has not been criminally charged over the allegations.
The administration's move follows a June 29 Supreme Court ruling in which the justices, in a 5-4 decision, declined to allow Trump's previous attempt to remove Cook to take effect while litigation continued. The court said Trump had failed to provide Cook with the procedural protections required under the Federal Reserve Act, including an opportunity to respond to the allegations before her removal.
The ruling did not decide whether Trump ultimately could remove Cook for cause. Chief Justice John Roberts said the court's decision addressed the procedures used in the earlier removal attempt, leaving the underlying question of whether the allegations constituted sufficient cause unresolved.
Trump first announced Cook's removal in August 2025 after William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, raised allegations concerning mortgage applications for two properties. Cook sued to remain on the Fed board, and a federal judge subsequently blocked her removal while the case proceeded.
The renewed effort places the White House back in a legal dispute over the independence of the central bank. Cook, appointed by former President Joe Biden, remains a member of the Fed's Board of Governors and has continued to participate in monetary-policy decisions. Federal Reserve records show her participating in the June Federal Open Market Committee meeting.
The administration's latest action now gives Cook an opportunity to formally respond to the allegations before any further decision on her removal.
