President Donald Trump has new, familiar ammunition in his pressure campaign against the Federal Reserve: mortgage fraud.
The president called on Governor Lisa Cook to resign Wednesday after Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate whether Cook may have committed mortgage fraud. Trump told aides he’s also considering firing Cook.
This isn’t the first time the administration has pursued a DOJ investigation into mortgage fraud charges initiated by Pulte; he’s also proposed probing two of Trump’s political nemeses on the issue, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and New York state Attorney General Letitia James.
Cook responded that she is “gathering the accurate information to answer any legitimate questions” but has “no intention of being bullied to step down.”
Her departure would create another vacancy for Trump to fill as he nudges the central bank to lower interest rates.
