U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday evening that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook was to be removed from her post, effective immediately, alleging that she made false statements in two mortgage applications.

Cook’s attempted removal represents a fresh attack by Trump on the Fed, amid repeated calls from the president that the central bank cut interest rates immediately. But her removal is also expected to spark a high-profile legal battle that could keep her in office until a verdict is reached. 

Cook said Trump had attempted to fire her “‘for cause’ when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so,” according to statements carried by the Washington Post and Reuters. Cook also said that she will continue to carry out her role at the Fed. 

Trump, in a letter earlier released to social media, said that there is “sufficient cause” for Cooke’s removal.

“There is sufficient reason to believe (Cook) may have made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements,” Trump said in a letter, alleging that Cook declared two separate properties as her primary residences in two separate mortgage agreements signed within weeks of each other.  

The allegations against Cook were raised earlier in August by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte. 

Pulte said that Cook had designated a condo in Atlanta as her primary residence after taking a loan on her home in Michigan, which she had earlier declared as a primary residence. He then called on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate, with Trump jumping on the allegation. 

Trump in his letter said it was “inconceivable” that Cook was not aware of both commitments. 

Cook– the first black woman to be appointed to the Fed board– had denied Pulte’s allegations, then stating she has “no intention of being bullied to step down from my position because of some questions raised in a tweet.” 

Reports earlier this week showed Trump was seeking to fire Cook, as the president attempts to gain more influence over the Fed. He had repeatedly called for Cook’s removal, on social media. 

Cook is one of three Biden-era Fed appointees whose terms extend beyond Trump’s second administration. Replacing Cook on the Fed board with his own nominee could give Trump more influence over the central bank’s rate-setting operations, which have become a major point of focus for his administration. 

Two of the Fed’s seven-member rate-setting board were nominated by Trump, as was Chair Jerome Powell during Trump’s first term, who has largely rejected the president’s calls for more interest rate cuts. 

Rate cuts appear to be at the heart of Trump’s attempts to gain more influence in the Fed, with his two other appointees to the board– Governor Christopher Waller and Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman– voting in favor of a rate cut during the Fed’s July meeting. 

The president had earlier this year claimed he could fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell over allegedly mismanaging funds tied to a major renovation of the Fed’s offices. But Trump has not delivered on this threat so far.

Powell– who had largely dismissed calls for interest rates– last week signaled some openness to easing in September, amid weakness in the labor sector. But the Fed chair still remained largely non-committal towards future rate cuts, citing uncertainty over inflation and the impact of Trump’s trade tariffs.

The Trump administration has probed several perceived political enemies using mortgage fraud investigations, including Democratic New York State Attorney General Letitia James, and Democratic U.S. Senator Adam Schiff.