White House triples down on ousting Lisa Cook as Fed meeting kicks off

The White House said on Tuesday it would not let up in its effort to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook from the central bank, signaling it planned to challenge a federal court decision allowing her to attend a Fed meeting to steer interest rates.

“The President lawfully removed Lisa Cook for cause,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement to Quartz. “The Administration will appeal this decision and looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”

The White House didn’t describe its timeline for appeal, but the choice to keep pursuing the matter virtually guarantees a major decision from the Supreme Court that will determine Cook’s fate at the Fed. The high court is also expected to decide whether to maintain or strike down Trump’s country-specific, double-digit tariffs by year’s end.

A n 11th-hour Monday ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit reaffirmed an earlier decision from a lower court reinstating Cook as a Fed official. She’s able to attend a two-day meeting to vote on interest rates and carry out her professional duties as she challenges her removal by the president.

Trump moved to fire Cook last month after she was accused of mortgage fraud by another administration official. Cook, who has not been charged with a crime, then sued to keep her job, sparking a legal battle that contains major implications for the president’s ability to remove Fed officials over “cause.”

Trump launched an unprecedented pressure campaign to compel the Fed to drastically lower interest rates earlier in the summer. He scored his biggest victory yet in his crusade to remake the central bank when the Senate confirmed top White House advisor Stephen Miran as a Federal Reserve governor on a temporary basis.

Trump finalized Miran’s appointment on Monday morning, allowing him to be able to cast a vote in the same Fed meeting alongside Cook. The president said he’d planned to speak with Miran by phone later in the day.

Miran told senators during his confirmation hearing last week that he only planned to take unpaid leave from his White House job after consulting with administration lawyers. That arrangement stirred criticism that Miran will serve as an emissary of Trump within an institution originally designed to make monetary policy decisions without political interference.

In theory, he could serve past the Jan. 2026 end date of his term if Trump chooses not to appoint a replacement. Miran replaced Fed Governor Adriana Kugler, who resigned unexpectedly in early August, months ahead of her term’s end.