Response by Governor Lisa D. Cook to August 5, 2026, Notice of Potential Removal

… Cook’s mortgage, that is what banks do. In evaluating each of these cases, the details of which have been public for nearly a year, the President has not fired any of these officials nor asked them to resign. He seemingly understands that signing two “primary” mortgage forms does not constitute an intentional act of wrongdoing or “call[] into question [one’s] competence and trustworthiness.” 18 An inadvertent oversight is not fraudulent or criminal. At all times, Governor Cook provided information about her residence in Michigan, how long she had lived there, her more than 15 years of ongoing employment at Michigan State University, and her finances. Moreover, contrary to one of the grounds for removal cited in the Letter, Governor Cook never rented her Atlanta property in 2022 or 2023, even though her mortgage and condominium association agreement permitted her to do so. The Supreme Court has established that “cause” is a “substantial …