White House sends warning letter to Lisa Cook threatening to fire her

The letter points to an Aug. 15, 2025, criminal referral from former Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte to the Justice Department, which Trump said he reviewed before concluding there was reason to believe Cook may have committed mortgage fraud.

“The President has reviewed the allegations in the Criminal Referral, and believes there is reason to believe you may have made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements,” the letter says.

The move follows a Supreme Court ruling in late June that left open the possibility for Trump to renew his effort to remove Cook. In a 5-4 decision, the court upheld a lower court order temporarily blocking Cook’s dismissal while her lawsuit proceeds. However, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the ruling did not prevent Trump from attempting to remove her again if he first gave her notice of the allegations and an opportunity to respond.

“Only after Cook has had the opportunity to respond to the charges made against her … may a final decision be made,” Roberts wrote. “And only then can the courts assess the validity and sufficiency of such charges.”

The White House letter emphasizes that Cook has been aware of the allegations since at least Aug. 25, 2025, but says she has not offered an explanation.

“You have known since at least August 25, 2025, about these allegations. Yet, even though it has been over 10 months, you have never provided an explanation for this serious misconduct,” the letter states. “This is your opportunity to respond.”

Cook’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, dismissed the allegations and vowed to challenge any attempt to remove her.

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“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,” Lowell said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.

“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,” he added. “As we did before, we will challenge this latest pretext and preserve her position and the historic role of the Fed.”