On Sunday, the Trump administration renewed its request to a federal appeals court to fire Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor who has faced political scrutiny in recent weeks.
The move comes ahead of the independent central bank’s interest rate vote this week. President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged the Fed to lower interest rates, while publicly criticizing Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
The Trump administration submitted its request to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia before Sunday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline.
The Trump administration called Cook’s claims to remain on the board “meritless,” adding that concerns over whether Cook misrepresented her finances raise questions about “whether Cook can be trusted to act with forthrightness, care, and disinterest in managing the U.S. money supply.”
Lowell & Associates, which represents Cook, did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
On Saturday, Cook’s legal team asked the court to reject Trump’s request to remove her from the board, claiming that the administration did not provide sufficient cause to fire her. Cook’s lawyers also claimed that allowing her to be fired jeopardizes the bank’s independence and national economic stability.
“As economists have warned, everyday Americans ultimately would pay the price: higher prices ‘via higher inflation and higher interest rates’ that result ‘when central bank independence is lost,'” according to Cook’s attorneys.
Cook has come under fire for allegations of mortgage fraud made by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. Trump stated on August 25 that he would remove Cook from her position due to the accusation.
