White House panel delays hearing on Fed's Lisa Cook to Dec. 14

A special committee of inquiry appointed by President Donald Trump to investigate whether allegations of false statements in mortgage applications by Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook warrant her firing has rescheduled a hearing from Thursday to Dec. 14, a White House official said Wednesday evening.

It was unclear if Cook, whom Trump unsuccessfully tried to fire in August 2025, would agree to appear at the rescheduled hearing.

The official said the rescheduling of the hearing at the White House came at the request of Cook, whose lawyer, Abbe Lowell, last month said questions about the committee's fairness and objectivity would have to be addressed before the hearing could occur.

Lowell said the hearing could not take place until December, at the earliest, because she "will be executing her official duties as Governor at financial and monetary policy meetings in Europe."

The New York Times first reported the hearing's rescheduling.

Trump in early October established the committee to investigate allegations that Cook made false statements related to "one or more mortgage instruments."

"The Committee shall investigate the allegations against Governor Cook and report to me whether there is 'cause' for Governor Cook's removal within the meaning of" a federal law that was cited in a Supreme Court ruling in June that temporarily blocked her firing.

The committee is comprised of Kevin Hassett, assistant to the president for economic policy, Andrea Lucas, the chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Office of Government Ethics Director Keith Sonderling.

Cook has denied any wrongdoing.

In a lawsuit challenging her firing, she argued that Trump's claim about the mortgage statements is pretextual, and that his real reason for trying to oust her is her refusal to agree to his demands that she vote for lower interest rates.

Trump created the panel more than three months after the Supreme Court ruled that the president, for now, could not fire Cook from the central bank's board.

The Supreme Court kept in place a lower court's order preventing Cook from being terminated while the suit challenging her dismissal proceeds.

The Supreme Court did not rule whether Trump ultimately has the power to fire a Fed board member. But it said she could remain on the board as her suit was pending because she was not given due process to challenge her firing.

The committee of inquiry Trump set up may be designed to show the Supreme Court that Cook has now received due process.

CNBC has requested comment from Lowell.