Trump raises pressure on Fed with call for governor to resign

WASHINGTON, Aug 21 (AFP): US President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on the US central bank Wednesday with a call for Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to step down, as he repeatedly criticizes Fed Chair Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates.

"Cook must resign, now!!!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, sharing a Bloomberg news report on how the Federal Housing Finance Agency's director has called for greater scrutiny of Cook over a pair of mortgages.

FHFA director Bill Pulte-a staunch ally of Trump-had reportedly written a letter to the US attorney general calling for an investigation of Cook while suggesting that she might have committed a criminal offense.

Cook said she had learned about it in a post on social media, and that the mortgage application took place "before I joined the Federal Reserve."