{"id":2546786,"date":"2026-01-21T18:38:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T23:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alito-asks-if-support-of-kkk-could-be-enough-to-remove-fed-governor\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T18:39:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T23:39:58","slug":"alito-asks-if-support-of-kkk-could-be-enough-to-remove-fed-governor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alito-asks-if-support-of-kkk-could-be-enough-to-remove-fed-governor\/","title":{"rendered":"Alito asks if support of KKK could be enough to remove Fed governor"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Falito-asks-if-support-of-kkk-could-be-enough-to-remove-fed-governor%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2546786&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Supreme Court heard emergency arguments in Trump v. Cook over whether President Trump may remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook while she challenges her firing &#8220;for cause.&#8221; Justice Samuel Alito pressed Cook&#8217;s lawyer Paul Clement with hypotheticals &#8211; including past nondisclosure agreements over sexual misconduct and videos expressing admiration for Hitler or the Ku Klux Klan &#8211; asking whether such conduct would justify removal; clement maintained those scenarios would more likely lead to impeachment than removal &#8220;for cause.&#8221; Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the court to allow the firing, but justices expressed skepticism of both sides&#8217; positions and of how broadly &#8220;for cause&#8221; should be defined.Trump fired Cook in August after FHFA Director Bill Pulte alleged she misrepresented primary residence claims on mortgage applications and referred the matter to the DOJ; lower courts have allowed Cook to remain in her seat while litigation proceeds. The case ties into broader questions about presidential removal powers and comes as the Court is also considering the related Slaughter case on independant-agency removals.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Alito asks if past support of Hitler or the KKK could be enough to remove Fed governor<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2478006\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Justice <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/samuel-alito\/\">Samuel Alito<\/a> grilled <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/federal-reserve\/\">Federal Reserve<\/a> governor Lisa Cook&rsquo;s lawyer over what would be a sufficient reason for a president to remove someone from the central bank, including whether past support of Adolf Hitler would qualify.<\/p>\n<p>The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/news\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court<\/a> heard <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4426758\/supreme-court-worried-letting-trump-fire-lisa-cook-jeopardizes-federal-reserve-independence\/\">arguments<\/a> on Wednesday in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/roberts-invites-leftist-bullying-campaigns-against-scotus\/\" title=\"Roberts Invites Leftist Bullying Campaigns Against SCOTUS\">emergency docket case<\/a> <em>Trump v. Cook<\/em>, evaluating whether to allow Cook to be fired or reinstated while her lawsuit challenging her purported firing &ldquo;for cause&rdquo; continues to work its way through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-state-abortion-laws-put-supreme-court-under-the-microscope\/\" title=\"New State Abortion Laws Put ... Under the Microscope\">lower federal courts<\/a>. The justices were skeptical of Solicitor General D. John Sauer&rsquo;s arguments for allowing Trump to fire Cook, but they also expressed concern over arguments by Paul Clement, Cook&rsquo;s lawyer, limiting the scope of what could be considered &ldquo;cause&rdquo; to remove a Fed officer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4426758\/supreme-court-worried-letting-trump-fire-lisa-cook-jeopardizes-federal-reserve-independence\/\">Supreme Court worried letting Trump fire Lisa Cook jeopardizes Fed independence<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4427026\/watch-live-democrats-press-conference-support-lisa-cook-supreme-court-arguments\/\">WATCH LIVE: Democrats hold press conference in support of Lisa Cook ahead of Supreme Court arguments<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4426394\/trumps-battle-federal-reserve-faces-supreme-court-test\/\">Trump&#8217;s battle with Federal Reserve faces Supreme Court test<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Alito asked Clement a series of hypothetical questions about when Clement believed a president would have sufficient cause to remove a Fed governor. The justice&rsquo;s first hypothetical was if the person in question was &ldquo;permitted to resign from a previous job under a nondisclosure agreement based on a long and egregious pattern of sexual misconduct,&rdquo; to which Clement said that would not be enough to justify &ldquo;for cause&rdquo; removal.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to stick to my front-line position, then that would not be for cause. It would certainly be a basis for impeachment,&rdquo; Clement said, to which Alito responded with another hypothetical.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;How about if, after the person assumes office, videos are disclosed in which the office-holder is expressing deep admiration for Hitler or for the [Ku Klux] Klan?&rdquo; Alito asked.<\/p>\n<p>Clement stood by his position that even those hypothetical videos would not provide a valid &ldquo;cause&rdquo; for removal, joking that he &ldquo;can only imagine where these [hypotheticals] are going to eventually go.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to stick with my position, and I&rsquo;m going to say that&rsquo;s an official that would be impeached in a heartbeat, and the fact that they would be impeached in a heartbeat is going to cause them to resign in half a heartbeat,&rdquo; Clement said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump fired Cook in August, citing allegations by Federal Housing Finance Agency&nbsp;Director Bill Pulte that, in 2021, Cook claimed two different homes as her primary residence to secure more generous loan terms. Pulte referred her to the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\/\">Justice Department<\/a> for mortgage fraud. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leo-dicaprio-mark-ruffalo-cher-call-on-joe-biden-to-kill-dakota-access-pipeline\/\" title=\"Leo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Cher Call On Joe Biden To Kill Dakota Access Pipeline\">district court ruled<\/a> in September that Cook could remain in her post while litigating the firing, a ruling upheld by an appeals court that is now before the high court.<\/p>\n<p>Both Cook and Fed Chairman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jerome-powell\/\">Jerome Powell<\/a> were in attendance for Wednesday&rsquo;s oral arguments, which marked the latest battle in Trump&rsquo;s war with the Fed. The emergency docket case is also just the latest instance of the justices reviewing the president&rsquo;s removal powers.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4426394\/trumps-battle-federal-reserve-faces-supreme-court-test\/\">TRUMP&rsquo;S BATTLE WITH THE FEDERAL RESERVE FACES SUPREME COURT TEST<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In December, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-justice-dept-asks-supreme-court-to-save-obamacare\/\" title=\"Biden Justice Dept. Asks ... to Save Obamacare\">high court heard arguments<\/a> in&nbsp;<em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3908676\/supreme-court-grapples-executive-power-independent-agencies\/\">Trump v. Slaughter<\/a><\/em>, which concerns the president&rsquo;s ability to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >fire independent agency heads<\/a> at will, excluding the Fed, which both parties conceded was unique in its structure.<\/p>\n<p>The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the <em>Slaughter <\/em>case, which is on the merits docket, by the end of June, but could issue a ruling in the <em>Cook <\/em>case, which is on the emergency docket, much sooner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alito asks if Hitler\/KKK support justifies firing Cook<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2638,"featured_media":2546787,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP23243455196995.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[4430,32663,32275],"class_list":["post-2546786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-alito","tag-federal-reserve","tag-supreme-court"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/AP23243455196995.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2546786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2638"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2546786"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2546786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2546790,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2546786\/revisions\/2546790"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2546787"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2546786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2546786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2546786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}