WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump has ordered a White House committee to investigate Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and determine whether there is cause to remove her, escalating an unprecedented effort to fire a sitting member of the U.S. central bank's board.

The committee will hold a closed, in-person hearing at the White House to examine the administration's allegations that Cook made false statements about her mortgages. Members of the committee, its representatives, or Department of Justice personnel will be permitted to question Cook for "no longer than four hours," according to a presidential memorandum.

Trump has sought to fire Cook since August 2025 as he has moved to exert greater control over a central bank he views as refusing for political reasons to lower interest rates as he wants.

"As President, it is my job to ensure the laws are faithfully executed, including by firing subordinates who cannot be trusted to tell the truth and follow the law," Trump said in a notice on the White House website on Friday.

"To assist me in carrying out that responsibility, the Committee shall investigate the allegations against Governor Cook and report to me whether there is 'cause' for Governor Cook's removal," the notice, dated October 7, said.

Cook's lawyers said on October 9 that a fair hearing would demonstrate there was no legal basis to remove her.

"If the hearing is anything close to objective, the conclusion will be that Governor Cook did not commit mortgage fraud, leaving no cause to remove her from the Federal Reserve Board," Cook's lawyers Abbe Lowell and Norm Eisen said in a statement. "Governor Cook welcomes the opportunity to present the facts so she can clear her name and demonstrate there is no legal basis to fire her."

They said they had engaged with the White House about the process.

Trump first attempted to fire Cook in August 2025. No U.S. president has previously tried to fire a sitting Fed governor. Central banks are widely viewed as requiring political independence to ensure they can take steps needed to combat inflation.

The dispute reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled earlier this year that a president could not remove a Fed governor without adequate cause and had to follow a clear process that sets out the reasons and provides evidence.

The ruling allowed Cook to remain in her position while sending the case back to a federal district court.

Cook was appointed to the Fed board in 2022 by former President Joe Biden and reappointed in 2023 to a term that runs until 2038.