Overview: Lisa Cook’s lawyer filed a detailed rebuttal arguing that alleged mortgage discrepancies were accurate or inadvertent and therefore do not amount to fraud. The letter to AG Pam Bondi says FHFA Director William Pulte’s referrals lack evidence of intentional deception across three property loans. The defense also accuses Pulte of political selectivity and cites recent FHFA personnel moves and a separate case involving NY Attorney General Letitia James for context. The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked Cook’s removal and will hear the dispute in January.
Lawyer Issues Detailed Defense for Fed Governor Lisa Cook Against Mortgage Allegations
Overview: Lisa Cook’s lawyer filed a detailed rebuttal arguing that alleged mortgage discrepancies were accurate or inadvertent and therefore do not amount to fraud. The letter to AG Pam Bondi says FHFA Director William Pulte’s referrals lack evidence of intentional deception across three property loans. The defense also accuses Pulte of political selectivity and cites recent FHFA personnel moves and a separate case involving NY Attorney General Letitia James for context. The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked Cook’s removal and will hear the dispute in January.
04:59 AM, 11/18/2025Politics
Lawyer Files Detailed Rebuttal to Mortgage Referrals for Fed Governor Lisa Cook
WASHINGTON — Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor, received a comprehensive legal response on Monday to mortgage-related referrals that prompted President Donald Trump’s attempt to remove her from the Fed. In a letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Cook’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, argued that apparent inconsistencies in loan paperwork were either accurate at the time or represented an "inadvertent notation" that — given other disclosures to her lenders — could not establish criminal fraud.
Cook has denied any wrongdoing. Until this filing, Cook and her legal team had not publicly addressed in detail the referrals first made this summer by Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte. Cook has sued to block her removal; the U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily stayed President Trump’s action and will hear arguments in January.
What the Letter Says
Lowell told Attorney General Bondi that the two criminal referrals from Pulte "fail on even the most cursory look at the facts." He argued the referrals do not show that Cook intentionally misled lenders when she obtained mortgages for three properties in Michigan, Georgia and Massachusetts.
The letter also accuses Pulte of selectively targeting opponents of President Trump while overlooking similar allegations involving Republican officials; that allegation was reported by the Wall Street Journal. Reuters said it could not immediately obtain or independently verify Lowell’s letter.
Context and Related Inquiries
Lowell’s letter criticized other recent FHFA actions that, he said, undercut Pulte’s referrals. Among them were the dismissal of the FHFA’s acting inspector general and the removal of several internal watchdogs at Fannie Mae, the mortgage-finance firm overseen by the FHFA.
A Department of Justice spokesperson said the department "does not comment on current or prospective litigation including matters that may be an investigation."
Lowell cited a Reuters report that the White House removed FHFA Acting Inspector General Joe Allen after he sought to provide discovery materials to prosecutors in the Eastern District of Virginia pursuing an indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James. James has been charged with bank fraud and lying to her lender following a referral from Pulte; she has pleaded not guilty and is seeking dismissal of the case on several grounds, including claims of vindictive and selective prosecution.
Part of Cook’s defense is being handled by Ed Martin, the Justice Department’s pardon attorney and the official sometimes described as the department’s "weaponization czar," whom Bondi named as a special assistant U.S. attorney to assist with mortgage-fraud inquiries involving public figures. The Justice Department is also, at Pulte’s request, conducting a separate probe into Democratic California Senator Adam Schiff.
Status: The matter remains under investigation and no charges have been filed.