Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook declared her Georgia property as a vacation home on loan estimates, despite the Trump administration’s claims that she committed mortgage fraud by listing two different properties as her primary residence, according to a document reviewed by Reuters.
United States President Donald Trump has attempted to fire Cook, alleging she claimed two primary residences simultaneously the year before joining the Fed.
A district court judge temporarily blocked Cook’s firing last week, saying these allegations were not sufficient grounds for her dismissal.
Federal Housing Finance Agency head Bill Pulte first argued that Cook had declared both an Atlanta condominium and a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, as primary residences on separate documents in 2021.
Cook “has provided no explanation for the contradictory representations apparent on the face of her mortgage agreements”, the Justice Department said in a legal filing on Sunday.
A loan estimate first reported by Reuters said that Cook had listed the Atlanta property as a vacation home, and described the property as a second home on security clearance documents.
She also did not request a primary residence tax exemption for the property, according to Fulton County tax records.
The Trump administration renewed its request for an appeals court to allow Cook’s firing on Sunday, and for an emergency ruling to remove her from the Fed by Monday before its next meeting.
The Federal Reserve will meet on 16-17 September, with markets largely expecting a 25 basis point interest rate cut.
Trump has repeatedly called for the Fed to cut rates in recent months and has also considered attempting to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
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