A lawyer for Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook told the White House on Wednesday that its allegations she committed mortgage fraud are unfounded, a response to the Trump administration's latest threat to try to fire her.

The letter to the White House tees up a decision by President Trump on whether to attempt removing her again, after the Supreme Court blocked an earlier effort and required that she first get an opportunity to respond.

The White House reopened its attempt to remove Cook earlier this month with a letter laying out its case, first made last year, that Cook falsified personal mortgage documents. Cook's lawyer, Abbe Lowell, rejected those allegations, writing Wednesday that her financing applications were aboveboard and made no attempt to mislead lenders.

"Governor Cook has never committed mortgage fraud or any intentional wrongdoing, and there is no legally cognizable cause for removing her from the Federal Reserve Board," Lowell wrote in the letter.

The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The dispute centers on a condominium Cook bought in Atlanta in July 2021-before she joined the Fed-which the White House alleges she falsely pledged to occupy as her primary residence. Standardized loan forms that Cook signed show she referred to two different properties-the Atlanta condo and a Michigan residence that she refinanced around the same time-as her primary residence.

Paperwork signed by Cook inadvertently described the Atlanta condo as her primary residence, Lowell wrote. But he added that the lender "knew that she had lived in Michigan for more than 15 years and worked full time as a tenured professor at Michigan State University." Lowell continued: "Governor Cook gave no indication that she was leaving to take any new job in Atlanta."

His letter also includes a declaration from a law professor who studies real-estate finance, Kathleen Engel of Suffolk University, stating that the evidence against Cook the White House has presented doesn't show intentional wrongdoing.

Cook's suit to remain in her job has prevailed provisionally in three courts, most recently at the Supreme Court in June. The president now faces a decision over whether to attempt another removal, a step that would likely renew an existing court battle before U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, where Cook's original lawsuit is still pending.

In the White House's letter reopening the case this month, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino wrote that Trump was considering removing her over "sufficient reason to believe" she made false statements on mortgage agreements and asked her to reply by Aug. 26. The letter also said Cook had never provided an explanation for the allegations.

The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that Cook could keep her job while her lawsuit proceeds. Chief Justice John Roberts, joined by the court's three liberals and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, wrote that a president's decision to remove a Fed governor for cause is subject to review by the courts, rejecting the administration's argument that judges have no role.

The court said whether sufficient cause exists turns on how serious the alleged misconduct is and how closely it connects to a governor's duties. It also said Cook was entitled to an explanation of the evidence, some avenue to respond and a deadline for doing so.

The Aug. 5 letter followed that guide by setting a deadline for a response from Cook and arguing that her alleged conduct bears on her honesty and competence as a financial regulator.

The allegations originated a year ago with Bill Pulte, the federal housing regulator, who referred Cook to the Justice Department in August 2025. Trump announced on his social-media account days later that he was removing her from her position. Cook sued to block the attempted firing. Prosecutors opened an investigation, The Wall Street Journal reported last September, but no charges have been brought.

Cook is one of seven Fed governors, and one of three appointed by President Joe Biden. Three others have been appointed by Trump. Removing Cook, whose term otherwise runs until 2038, would leave her seat empty until the Senate confirms a successor, and Trump hasn't nominated one.

The more immediate effect would be on the Fed's interest-rate votes, which have in recent months moved against the president's wishes. The Fed has held rates steady since December, including at the two most-recent meetings, which were led by new Chairman Kevin Warsh. In July, three Fed presidents voted to raise rates. Cook is among several governors who have signaled an openness to increasing rates if inflation doesn't move lower.

Economists and former officials have argued that the attempt on Cook's job threatens the Fed's insulation from political pressure-the principle that lets a central bank raise rates when a president would rather it didn't. Since the Fed's founding in 1913, no president had attempted to remove a governor until last year.