Trump revives effort to fire Fed’s Lisa Cook
Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook participates in a board meeting at the Federal Reserve on March 19, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images
President Donald Trump is “considering” firing Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook, the White House said this week, reviving an effort that had been stymied by the Supreme Court in June.
White House presidential aide Dan Scavino, in a letter to Cook dated Wednesday, said there is “sufficient reason to believe that you made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements.”
Those are the same allegations Trump and his allies floated when he first moved to fire Cook from the central bank last year. Cook denied the charges and filed a lawsuit challenging her dismissal.
A federal court blocked Trump from firing Cook while her suit was pending. The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling in late June, upheld that decision against a challenge the president. But Chief Justice John Roberts noted that the court’s decision did not stop Trump from trying again to remove Cook over the mortgage fraud allegations.
Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Cook, said in a statement, “These allegations are as baseless now as they were a year ago when President Trump tried to remove Governor Cook and interfere with the independence of the Federal Reserve.”
“No matter what President Trump tries to do next, this much is clear under the facts and Supreme Court precedent — there is no valid cause for removing Governor Cook,” Lowell’s statement said. “As we did before, we will challenge this latest pretext and preserve her position and the historic role of the Fed.”
Wednesday’s letter from Scavino, Trump’s deputy chief of staff and director of the Office of Presidential Personnel, told Cook to provide an “explanation for your false statements and accompanying evidence” within three weeks.
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