By Bryan Mena, CNN

Washington (CNN) — The Justice Department is investigating Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook to probe whether she submitted fraudulent mortgage applications, according to the Associated Press.

DOJ investigators have begun issuing subpoenas as part of the probe, the AP reported, citing a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the probe and spoke on condition of anonymity.

President Donald Trump last week said he had fired Cook from her post on the central bank’s powerful board — the first time a Fed governor has ever been fired — citing allegations first raised by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, who referred the matter to the Justice Department.

Pulte alleges that Cook claimed two properties — a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and a condo in Atlanta — as her primary home addresses within two weeks of purchasing each with financing. A CNN review of mortgage documents showed that to be the case, but it’s not known why she did so or if she did so intentionally.

“The questions over how Governor Cook described her properties from time to time, which we have started to address in the pending case and will continue to do so, are not fraud, but it takes nothing for this DOJ to undertake a new politicized investigation, and they appear to have just done it again,” Cook’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said Thursday in a statement.

Cook has filed suit to challenge Trump’s removal order, teeing up a high-stakes legal battle with major implications on the Fed’s independence and presidential power. She has also asked the court to keep her in her post while the litigation proceeds.

Cook’s firing is part of the Trump administration’s unprecedented pressure campaign against the Fed. For months, Trump has blasted the central bank and its leader, Jerome Powell, because the Fed hasn’t lowered interest rates this year. Central bankers said they’ve wanted to see how Trump’s major policy changes play out first before lowering rates again, though after holding steady since December, the Fed is expected to cut rates at its September 16-17 policy meeting.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

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