Even CNN Admits Trump Had Cause to Fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook

When President Trump fired Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook last month, the left erupted in outrage. Rep. Maxine Waters even suggested that Trump’s action could warrant removal from office under the 25th Amendment. But even CNN’s top legal analyst, Elie Honig, has poured cold water on the hysteria, making an ironclad case that Trump had clear cause to take action.

“So, two things appear to be true at the same time,” Honig explained. “One, it seems quite clear that Donald Trump and Bill Pulte, who is the head of this housing finance agency, have targeted Lisa Cook. They want to remove her from the Fed because they don’t like what the Fed is doing on interest rates. That seems quite clear from the public statements of Donald Trump and Bill Pulte.”

Honig, however, quickly pivoted to the more troubling issues surrounding Cook herself. “It also is true that there are some suspicious activity here that’s really problematic by Lisa Cook,” he said, before breaking down the alleged mortgage misconduct. According to Honig, Cook purchased three properties in rapid succession under highly questionable circumstances.

“Let me just sort of try to bottom line it,” Honig said. “There’s three properties, okay. Within a two-week stretch, she purchases, she gets a mortgage on a place in Michigan and says that’s her principal residence. Two weeks later, she gets a mortgage on a place in Atlanta in Georgia and says that’s her primary residence. And now there’s a third place in Cambridge that she said was her secondary residence, but she’s actually renting it out.”

Why does this matter? Honig explained that claiming multiple properties as primary residences can yield enormous financial benefits. “Because you get better interest rates. Because you get better tax benefits, that can be worth tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars,” he said.

Even more striking, Honig noted that Cook’s legal team has so far failed to provide any plausible explanation for these discrepancies. “Thus far, and I find this really notable, in the briefs that have been submitted by Lisa Cook lawyers… she was the plaintiff here. She filed the opening brief, no explanation of what she did. What—how this happened,” Honig said.

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While her lawyers hinted it might have been a clerical error, Honig was skeptical. “Today in court, Abbe Lowell—very good lawyer—again, no explanation of how this happened and the claim that this might be clerical error or just a mistake, that’s not going to fly because Lisa Cook is one of the most established, accomplished financial and economic experts in this country,” he explained. “This is not just like any old person. Look, when you do a mortgage, there’s all sorts of paperwork flying in terms, and maybe you can get confused or lost. I don’t know if you’re going to buy that from Lisa Cook.”

Honig’s assessment essentially gives Trump the benefit of the doubt when it comes to “cause” for firing. “But the bottom line question … is who has to show what here? I think that the allegations on their face could be enough for a judge to say, 'Look, I’m going to defer to the president on cause,'” he concluded.

🚨NEW: CNN's Elie Honig says judge could rule Trump had cause to fire Lisa Cook based on her "SUSPICIOUS" and "REALLY PROBLEMATIC" conduct🚨

"I think that the allegations on their face could be enough for a judge to say, 'Look, I'm going to defer to the president on cause.'"… pic.twitter.com/zYW4e7ltWw

— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) August 29, 2025

This analysis is significant because it exposes the hollow theatrics of Democrats claiming that Trump acted recklessly or unlawfully. Even CNN’s own legal expert acknowledges that the president may have acted well within his authority, given the serious questions surrounding Cook’s financial conduct.

The left painted the firing as a political purge, but it was plainly a legitimate use of presidential authority—so much so that even CNN couldn't deny it. For a party and media obsessed with procedure and propriety, Honig’s comments are a sharp reminder: facts matter more than outrage.

America witnessed another left-wing meltdown over President Trump’s removal of Fed Governor Lisa Cook, now debunked even by CNN’s own legal analyst. PJ Media exposes the truth behind the hysteria mainstream media hides. Support fearless journalism by joining PJ Media VIP and getting access to exclusive commentary, comment privileges, and ad-free browsing. Use code FIGHT for 60% off. Don’t wait, join today.