US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent once to occupy two different hosues as his principal residence at the same time, the same "kind of contradictory pledges that Trump has been using to try to oust Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook"

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent once simultaneously designated two separate properties as his “principal residence,” according to a Wednesday report — a move similar to the claim President Donald Trump cited when he sought to dismiss Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.

Bloomberg reported that documents from September 2007 show Bessent agreed that homes in Bedford Hills, New York, and Provincetown, Massachusetts, would each serve as his principal residence.

Cook, according to earlier reports, signed mortgage agreements in summer 2021 stating that houses in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Atlanta were both her principal residences. She executed the documents within two weeks of each other, shortly before joining the Fed’s Board.

In August, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte repeatedly accused Cook of mortgage fraud, posting her mortgage records on social media. The Justice Department launched an investigation following a criminal referral from Pulte.

Trump announced on Aug. 25 that he was firing Cook based on Pulte’s allegations. Cook, who denies any fraud, has sued to block her removal. Both a U.S. District Court judge in Washington, D.C., and a federal appeals court have ruled that Trump cannot oust her while the case proceeds.

Trump’s push to remove Cook came after months of unsuccessfully pressuring the Fed to cut interest rates.

Asked about Cook’s situation in an August Fox Business interview, Bessent said:
“There are people who think that President Trump is putting undue pressure on the Fed. And there are people like President Trump and myself who think that if a Fed official committed mortgage fraud, that this should be examined, and that they shouldn’t be serving as one of the nation’s leading financial regulators.”

Bloomberg noted that the circumstances of Cook and Bessent are not identical. Cook personally signed her mortgage agreements, while Bessent’s were signed on his behalf by a lawyer. In addition, both of Bessent’s mortgages were with the same bank, whereas Cook’s involved two different lenders. Still, evidence suggests lenders were aware of the true intended use of both Bessent’s and Cook’s properties.