White House Renews Effort To Remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook After Court Setback
A White House letter dated August 5, 2026 told Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook that President Trump is considering removing her from the Fed over alleged false statements on mortgage applications.[1]
The letter, sent by White House aide Dan Scavino the week of August 3, gave Cook until August 26 to respond and said there was "sufficient reason to believe" she made false statements.[1] Scavino's letter also said even if Cook's conduct did not amount to a felony, it "appears to demonstrate a level of gross negligence in financial transactions" that calls into question her competence and trustworthiness as a financial regulator.[2]
The White House cites an August 2025 criminal referral from Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte.[3] Pulte alleges Cook listed an Ann Arbor house and an Atlanta condo as "primary residence" on 2021 mortgage forms to obtain lower interest rates.[3] Cook's attorney Abbe Lowell called the allegations baseless and said the notice is a rehash of year-old claims that they will challenge to preserve the Fed's independence.[2]
The Supreme Court's June 2026 5-4 decision held presidents may remove Fed governors only for cause and allowed Cook to remain while litigation proceeds.[4] Chief Justice John Roberts added in a footnote that the president could "try again" if proper notice and an opportunity to contest were provided.[1]
The renewed move comes amid a pattern of Trump pressuring the Fed to cut interest rates and public comments that he intends to keep trying to remove Cook after the June loss.[3]
Show source details & analysis (4 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- A White House letter to Lisa Cook dated August 5, 2026 says President Trump is considering removing her from the Federal Reserve Board because there is “sufficient reason to believe” she made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements (White House letter to Lisa Cook).
- The removal effort cites an August 2025 criminal referral from Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte alleging Cook improperly listed two homes — an Ann Arbor house and an Atlanta condo — as “primary residence” on 2021 mortgage forms to obtain lower mortgage rates (Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte).
- White House aide Dan Scavino sent Cook a notice the week of August 3, 2026 informing her that Trump is considering removal and giving her until August 26, 2026 to respond (Dan Scavino).
- Scavino’s letter says that even if Cook’s conduct does not amount to a felony, it “appears to demonstrate a level of gross negligence in financial transactions that calls into question your competence and trustworthiness as a financial regulator” (Scavino's letter).
- The Supreme Court’s June 2026 5-4 decision held presidents may remove Fed governors only for cause, allowed Cook to remain while litigation proceeds, and — in a footnote by Chief Justice Roberts — said the president could “try again” if proper notice and an opportunity to contest were provided (Supreme Court’s June 2026 5-4 decision).
- Cook’s attorney Abbe Lowell called the mortgage-fraud allegations baseless, described the White House letter as a rehash of year‑old claims, and vowed to challenge the renewed removal attempt to preserve her position and the Fed’s independence (Abbe Lowell).
- The renewed removal attempt follows the June Supreme Court setback and comes amid broader tensions in which President Trump has previously pressured the Fed to cut interest rates, publicly signaled he would keep trying to remove Cook after the court decision, and previously threatened to fire then‑Fed Chair Jerome Powell (Trump).
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- In a letter sent the week of August 3, 2026, White House aide Dan Scavino informed Lisa Cook that President Trump is considering removing her from the Federal Reserve Board and gave her until August 26, 2026, to respond.
- The PBS article publishes and links to the full text of Scavino's notice letter, which the Supreme Court required as part of any renewed removal attempt.
- The piece reiterates that the Supreme Court’s June 2026 5-4 decision allowed Cook to stay in her post while litigation proceeds but, in a footnote by Chief Justice John Roberts, said Trump could 'try again' if he provided proper notice and an opportunity to contest.
- Cook's lawyer Abbe Lowell issued a new statement calling the latest White House letter a rehash of year‑old allegations and vowing to challenge this renewed attempt under Supreme Court precedent.
- The article restates with added detail that the removal effort is based on an August 2025 criminal referral from Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte alleging Cook improperly claimed both an Ann Arbor home and an Atlanta condo as 'primary residence' on 2021 mortgage forms, and recounts Lowell’s prior explanation of those filings.
- On Friday, August 7, 2026, NPR reported that Deputy White House Chief of Staff Daniel Scavino sent Lisa Cook a new letter this week demanding she respond to allegations she made false statements on mortgage applications.
- The NPR article quotes Scavino's letter as saying that even if Cook's conduct does not amount to a felony, it 'appears to demonstrate a level of gross negligence in financial transactions that calls into question your competence and trustworthiness as a financial regulator.'
- Cook's attorney Abbe Lowell issued a fresh statement on the latest letter, calling the mortgage-fraud allegations 'as baseless now as they were a year ago' and vowing again to challenge the 'latest pretext' to preserve her position and Fed independence.
- NPR reiterates that the renewed effort comes just over a month after the Supreme Court's June 2026 5-4 ruling that presidents may remove Fed governors only for cause and notes that lower courts will now have to decide whether the Cook allegations meet that standard.
- The article situates the new move in the broader pattern of Trump pressuring the Fed to cut interest rates, including his past threat to fire then-Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
- MS NOW reports that a White House letter to Lisa Cook, dated August 5, 2026, states President Trump is considering removing her from the Federal Reserve Board due to "sufficient reason to believe" she made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements.
- The article specifies that the criminal referral underlying the White House's claimed 'cause' came from Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, in August 2025, alleging Cook listed two homes in different states as primary residences to obtain lower mortgage interest rates.
- Cook’s attorney Abbe Lowell issued a new statement on August 7, 2026, calling the mortgage-fraud allegations baseless, asserting there is "no valid cause" for removing Cook under Supreme Court precedent, and vowing to challenge this latest attempt in order to preserve both her position and the Fed’s independence.
- The story reiterates that this renewed effort comes weeks after a June 2026 Supreme Court ruling blocked Trump's prior attempt to fire Cook, and notes Trump publicly signaled in a CNBC interview days after that decision that he intended to keep trying to remove her.
- The article adds contextual detail that Trump had previously mounted an aggressive campaign to pressure then-Fed Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates before replacing him with Kevin Warsh, who told senators at his confirmation hearing that he would not bow to Trump’s rate-cut demands.