Overview
- The White House convened a three-member panel and scheduled an in-person hearing for November 5 to build a record for possible for-cause removal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.
- Cook’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, wrote that she will be in Europe for official financial and monetary policy meetings on the proposed date and therefore cannot attend the November 5 session.
- Lowell formally challenged the panel’s objectivity, pointing to member Kevin Hassett’s past public comments about cause for removal and criticizing the lack of clarity about additional allegations and evidence disclosure.
- The White House has not confirmed whether it will reschedule the hearing, and Cook’s team said the earliest feasible date would be after the Fed’s December 8–9 policy meeting to allow time to prepare.
- Legal experts note this fight follows a Supreme Court ruling that blocked a prior removal attempt for lack of fair process, and the outcome could set precedent on how presidents can remove officials from independent agencies and affect confidence in Fed independence.