WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump is renewing his effort to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, giving her three weeks to respond to mortgage fraud allegations after the Supreme Court in June blocked his earlier attempt to oust her without providing her an opportunity to contest the charges.
The White House notified Cook in a letter this week that Trump was considering removing her from the Fed's Board of Governors. The letter, signed by Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, accused Cook of conduct that it said could constitute gross negligence and undermine her suitability to serve as a central bank governor.
Cook has denied wrongdoing, and her attorney, Abbe D. Lowell, called the allegations baseless and said there was no valid cause for her removal. "As we did before, we will challenge this latest pretext and preserve her position and the historic role of the Fed," Lowell said in a statement.
The renewed effort follows a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling on June 29 that prevented Trump from removing Cook immediately and said she was entitled to notice and an opportunity to respond before any removal for cause. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the court had not decided the factual dispute underlying the allegations.
Trump first sought to remove Cook in August 2025 after allegations raised by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte concerning mortgage documents for properties associated with Cook. Cook said the allegations were a pretext for removing her because of disagreements over monetary policy. She has never been charged with a crime.
The Supreme Court's ruling returned the case to lower courts while establishing that the president could not simply remove a Fed governor at will. Roberts said the standard for removing a governor for cause would require a substantial threshold and that Cook must be allowed to answer the charges.
The Federal Reserve and White House did not immediately comment on the renewed proceedings, according to Reuters.
Cook remains a member of the Fed's Board of Governors. She also continued to perform her official duties following the Supreme Court ruling, including delivering a speech on the economic outlook in July.
