Lawyer for Fed Governor Cook Denounces Trumps New Investigation

Lisa D.Cook on Tuesday challenged President Trump’s latest attempt to remove her from her role as a Federal Reserve governor, questioning the objectivity of a White House investigation into unproven allegations that she committed mortgage fraud.In a letter to the White House viewed by The New York Times, Ms.

Cook’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said the governor would not be able to attend a hearing scheduled for Nov.5 because she would be fulfilling her duties in Europe “at financial and monetary policy meetings.”Mr.

Lowell said the earliest that any hearing could take place was after the Fed’s policy meeting scheduled for Dec.8-9.Mr.

Lowell also questioned the impartiality of the investigation, which will be run by a committee that is staffed with Mr.Trump’s political appointees, including Kevin Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council; Keith Sonderling, the labor secretary, who is serving as acting director of a government ethics office; and Andrea Lucas, the chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.“We have significant concerns regarding the objectivity and fitness of the committee for its assigned purpose,” Mr.

Lowell said.Mr.Trump, who has long sought more control over the central bank in a bid to lower borrowing costs, has signaled how he expects the committee to rule.

When asked on Friday about the investigation into Ms.Cook, the president called her “dishonest” and said that if the committee found that there was cause to remove her, he would “absolutely” fire her.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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