Report says White House aide letter indicates President Trump is again considering removal of Fed Governor Lisa Cook

President Donald Trump is reportedly renewing an effort to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, despite a June Supreme Court setback that blocked an earlier attempt to remove her, according to a letter dated Wednesday that was obtained by PBS and reported by The Hill.

The Hill reported that the letter was sent by White House presidential aide Dan Scavino and described the president as “considering” removing Cook, indicating that the administration is again exploring executive action tied to the Fed’s leadership structure.

Under the Federal Reserve’s statutory framework, the president appoints and the Senate confirms members of the Board of Governors, including governors such as Cook, who serve fixed terms. The practical dispute in the Cook case centers on the president’s power to remove a sitting governor during an ongoing term and what standard applies, an issue that has already reached the Supreme Court.

The Hill’s report frames the June development as a key obstacle for the administration’s first push to remove Cook. In that earlier effort, the White House attempted to pursue removal authority over the governor, but the Supreme Court’s intervention prevented the action from moving forward, according to the reporting cited by The Hill.

If the White House moves beyond “considering” and proceeds with any removal effort, the administration would likely face the same constitutional and statutory constraints that were at issue earlier in the dispute, including whether courts would treat the president’s removal power as limited and what justification is required.

The next step, based on the reporting so far, would depend on whether the administration issues a formal removal decision or any follow-on legal filings that would make the standard and timeline concrete for affected parties, including the Federal Reserve and any reviewing courts.

Cook’s role in the Federal Reserve’s policymaking process is part of broader concerns about continuity in monetary policy and the separation of powers, while the administration’s effort would also raise recurring questions about executive authority over independent agencies and how removal standards are enforced. Those implications would continue to be shaped by any subsequent court proceedings if the issue is litigated again.