Trump says Cook must go after mortgage allegations
Trump seeks more influence over Fed, faces challenges with current board composition
FHFA's Pulte requests investigation by Attorney General Pam Bondi
WASHINGTON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to resign, intensifying his effort to gain influence over the central bank on the basis of allegations made by one of his allies about mortgages Cook holds in Michigan and Georgia.
U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte alleged in a post on X earlier on Wednesday that Cook had designated a condo in Atlanta as her primary residence after taking a loan on her home in Michigan, which she also declared as a primary residence.Loans for a primary residence can carry easier terms than for second homes or investment properties. Pulte said the loans date to mid-2021, before Cook was appointed to the Fed by former President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate the following year. She is a native of Georgia and at the time was an economics professor at Michigan State University.
Pulte asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate, and Trump quickly amplified the allegation. The Justice Department was taking the matter very seriously, a department official told ReutersSpokespersons for the Fed and for Cook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"Cook must resign, now!!!" Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform, his latest remarks aimed at reshaping the make-up of the U.S. central bank, a body designed to set benchmark interest rates independent of White House influence.
Cook is one of three Biden appointees to the Fed whose terms extend beyond Trump's time in office, complicating the president's efforts to get more control by appointing a majority of its seven-member board. Currently two of the Fed's remaining six board members were appointed by Trump, Governor Christopher Waller and Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman..
