TEXT-Full text of Trump's removal letter to Fed Governor Cook

WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday took the unprecedented action of firing Lisa Cook, the first African-American woman to serve as a Federal Reserve governor, over claims of mortgage borrowing impropriety.

Here is the full text of the Trump letter in which he announced Cook's removal and which he posted on social media:

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

August 25, 2025

Dr. Lisa D. Cook

Member

Board of Governors

United States Federal Reserve System

20th Street & Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20551

Dear Governor Cook:

Pursuant to my authority under Article II of the Constitution of the United States and the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, as amended, you are hereby removed from your position on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, effective immediately.

The Federal Reserve Act provides that you may be removed, at my discretion, for cause. See 12 U.S.C. § 242. I have determined that there is sufficient cause to remove you from your position.

As set forth in the Criminal Referral dated August 15, 2025, from Mr. William J. Pulte, Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to Ms. Pamela Bondi, Attorney General of the United States ("Criminal Referral") (attached to this letter as Exhibit A), there is sufficient reason to believe you may have made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements. For example, as detailed in the Criminal Referral, you signed one document attesting that a property in Michigan would be your primary residence for the next year. Two weeks later, you signed another document for a property in Georgia stating that it would be your primary residence for the next year. It is inconceivable that you were not aware of your first commitment when making the second. It is impossible that you intended to honor both.

The Federal Reserve has tremendous responsibility for setting interest rates and regulating reserve and member banks. The American people must be able to have full confidence in the honesty of the members entrusted with setting policy and overseeing the Federal Reserve. In light of your deceitful and potentially criminal conduct in a financial matter, they cannot and I do not have such confidence in your integrity. At a minimum, the conduct at issue exhibits the sort of gross negligence in financial transactions that calls into question your competence and trustworthiness as a financial regulator.

The executive power of the United States is vested in me as President and, as President, I have a solemn duty to ensure that the laws of the United States are faithfully executed. I have determined that faithfully executing the law requires your immediate removal from office. Thank you for your attention to this matter.