Documents related to Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook's mortgage on an Atlanta property might muddy the waters on allegations of real estate fraud, which the Trump administration Justice Department (DOJ) began investigating in late Aug., as streiff previously wrote:
Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte has referred possible criminal activity involving Federal Reserve Governor Lisa D. Cook to Attorney General Pam Bondi for investigation and action as appropriate. Pulte's letter states, "According to mortgage documents obtained by U. S. Federal Housing, it appears an individual, Ms. Lisa DeNell Cook, has falsified bank documents and property records to acquired more favorable loan terms, potentially committing mortgage fraud under the criminal statute."
This comes after a Sept. 9 decision by a Biden-appointed federal judge to place a temporary restraining order on President Trump's August termination of Cook from the independent banking board.
As we’ve reported, Trump fired Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook in August for cause—the “cause” being she is under investigation by the DOJ for several instances of alleged mortgage fraud—but a Biden-appointed jurist effectively said Tuesday evening, “no, no, you can’t do that."
A federal judge on Tuesday night blocked President Donald Trump from firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook as her lawsuit challenging her termination plays out in court.
Judge Jia Cobb’s issuance of a temporary restraining order in the case came nearly two weeks after Cook sued Trump to prevent him from removing her from the central bank.
Trump said on Aug. 25 that he was firing Cook because of suggestions by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte that she had committed mortgage fraud in connection with documents she signed for two residential properties she owns in Georgia and Michigan.
Read More: DOJ Opens a Criminal Investigation on Rogue Fed Official's Real Estate Fraud
Another Day Ending in Y, Another TRO Against Trump—This Time on Firing Fed Governor Lisa Cook
Here's what we know so far about the bank loan paperwork. First, a bank document from Cook's credit union about her immanent purchase of a home appears to show she did not seek to treat it as a primary residence, stating it was a vacation home, according to Reuters:
WASHINGTON, Sept 12 (Reuters) - A loan estimate for an Atlanta home purchased by Lisa Cook, the Federal Reserve governor accused of mortgage fraud by the Trump administration, shows that Cook had declared the property as a “vacation home,” according to a document reviewed by Reuters.
The document, dated May 28, 2021, was issued to Cook by her credit union in the weeks before she completed the purchase and shows that she had told the lender that the Atlanta property wouldn’t be her primary residence. The document appears to counter other documentation that Cook’s critics have cited in support of their claims that she committed mortgage fraud by reporting two different homes as her primary residence, two independent real-estate experts said.
NBC News reported that it also reviewed the loan document:
Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook declared in financial forms that her Atlanta property would be used as a “vacation home” and not her primary residence, according to documents obtained by NBC News that appear to undercut the Trump administration’s allegations of mortgage fraud.
...
A loan summary from the Bank-Fund Staff Federal Credit Union in May 2021 reads: “Property Use: Vacation Home.” Additionally, public records in Fulton County, Georgia, reviewed by NBC News show that no tax exemptions available for a primary residence were sought by Cook.
But there was also this:
A second document obtained by NBC News, Cook’s “questionnaire for national security positions,” which was submitted to the Biden administration in late 2021 and later the Senate, contains a question that reads: “Please list all of your interests in real property, including additional homes, vacation homes, rental properties, and interests in trusts that may hold property.”
Cook responded by writing “2nd home” followed by the address of the Atlanta property.
For now, it's unclear how much or little the loan summary and federal government questionnaire filings will affect the legal case on Cook's firing or the DOJ investigation into possible criminal activity. This is a developing story, so RedState will provide more information as it becomes available.
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