Trump Removes US Central Bank Governor Lisa Cook

US President Donald Trump has ordered the removal of Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, alleging that she submitted false information on mortgage loan documents, according to a report by the BBC.

On Monday night, Trump published on his social media platform Truth Social a letter he had sent to Cook, stating that under powers granted by the US Constitution, he was dismissing her effective immediately.

In the letter, Trump accused Cook of listing a Michigan home as her primary residence in loan documents and then, just two weeks later, declaring a Georgia property as her primary residence as well. Trump wrote:

“It is difficult to believe that when you signed the second document, you did not know about your earlier commitment.”

Neither Cook nor the Federal Reserve has yet commented on the dismissal.

The move marks a major escalation in Trump’s ongoing tensions with the Federal Reserve, especially with its chair Jerome Powell, whom Trump has repeatedly criticized for refusing to cut interest rates. He has even hinted multiple times at firing Powell.

However, the decision to remove Cook is seen as unprecedented. In the Fed’s 111-year history, no member of the Board of Governors has ever been dismissed in this way. Cook, one of seven members, was also the first African-American woman to serve in the role.

Legal experts suggest the step could face court challenges, as the White House may need to prove in court that there were sufficient grounds for her removal.