In a latest update Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook has strongly rejected and denounced mortgage fraud allegations brought against her by the Trump administration, labeling the claims as “unfounded and untrue”.
The controversy stems from a criminal referral by Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte, accusing Cook of declaring multiple properties including homes in Michigan and Atlanta as her primary residence on various mortgage documents.
The administration claimed this could have potentially secured her more favorable loan terms.
As reported, Trump utilized these allegations as grounds to attempt to oust Cook from the Federal Reserve Board.
Cook has warned the administration of United States President Donald Trump that it has no legal basis to fire her from her leadership position at the central bank
Her legal team’s latest statement comes as Trump renews his efforts to push her out of her role, a manoeuvre widely viewed as an assault on the bank’s independence.
Under US law, Federal Reserve governors can only be removed “for cause”, and not for political reasons.
“For the second time in a year, we have explained why there is no legal basis for President Trump to remove Governor Cook for cause,” the lawyers said.
Following the accusations the legal body emphasized, “an inadvertent error is not fraud, as the President and a third of his cabinet should know because they reportedly did the same thing.
These attacks on Governor Cook are not about real estate paperwork; they are an attempt by President Trump to force the Federal Reserve to bend to his will.”
Moreover, the letter serves as a response to a threat from the Trump administration this month.
In a message dated August 5, the White House warned that Trump, a Republican, was considering firing Cook “due to there being sufficient reason to believe that you made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements”. It gave her three weeks, until Wednesday, to respond.
This is the second time Trump has sought to use mortgage fraud allegations to remove Cook.
A year ago, in August 2025, he issued similar accusations, telling reporters, “I’ll fire her if she doesn’t resign.”
Aljazeera informed, Cook responded with a lawsuit that travelled all the way to the Supreme Court as she claimed the allegations were a pretext for removing her over policy differences.
This marks an unprecedented conflict regarding the independence of the central bank.
In a formal legal response submitted to the White House, Cook’s defense attorneys (including Abbe Lowell and Norman Eisen) firmly asserted that she “has never committed mortgage fraud or any intentional wrongdoing.
In a five-to-four ruling in June, the high court blocked Trump from firing Federal Reserve governors at will.
As reported, no president has attempted to oust a Federal Reserve official since the body was founded more than a century ago.
Additionally, the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 enshrined certain protections for the bank to shield it from outside influences that could damage the economy in the name of political gain.
