Justice Department probes mortgage fraud claims against Lisa Cook of Federal Reserve, AP source says

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department has begun examining mortgage fraud allegations against Lisa Cook , the Federal Reserve governor who is challenging a Trump administration effort to remove her from her job in a move she says is designed to erode the central bank’s independence.

Investigators have issued subpoenas as part of an inquiry into Cook that was spawned by a criminal referral from the country’s top housing regulator , according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the probe and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.