Late last week, Trump announced on social media he'd fire Cook, if she didn't voluntarily resign, following an administration official's allegation that she committed mortgage fraud. Cook did not resign, and Trump said Monday he'd officially terminated her. 

Now, Cook — who worked at MSU for nearly two decades before being named to the Fed — is lodging a legal battle against the president claiming insufficient justification for the termination and a lack of due process. The case is expected to force judges to parse the degree to which the executive branch should be separate from the Fed, which sets interest rates and has been historically insulated from political pressure.

Weighty as the dispute may be, it largely doesn't pertain to MSU, the institution said. 

Spokesperson Amber McCann said Cook's status of unpaid leave at MSU is unaffected and that she's unaware of any communication between the university and Cook since her dispute with Trump began.

"It wouldn't be atypical that she's not been in communication with the university," McCann said. "I can't speak to her communication with colleagues, but I'm not aware of any official outreach from Lisa Cook to the university about the current circumstances."

McCann added that the university does not comment on any pending litigation.

Angela Wilson, chair of the Faculty Senate, echoed the sentiment that the matter does not directly concern MSU, but added there's no historical precedent for Trump's attempted ouster of Cook and that it is a "highly unfortunate situation." 

A president has never before attempted to remove a sitting governor on the Federal Reserve board, and Cook's lawsuit notes that the entity's founding statute stipulates the president can only terminate one "for cause." Because the allegation of mortgage fraud has not been proven, and Cook has not been convicted of any crime, she argues Trump overstepped his authority in removing her. 

The lawsuit did not, however, address why Cook listed two houses as a primary residence on mortgage filings, a discrepancy that Trump used to justify her removal from the Fed. Claiming a residence is one's primary can secure more favorable mortgage terms. 

Trump has routinely chastised Fed chair Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates in the face of rising inflation. Cook has regularly voted with Powell on the matter. She argued in her suit that's the root reason Trump moved to fire her. 

"It is clear from the circumstances surrounding Governor Cook's purported removal from the Federal Reserve Board that the mortgage allegations against her are pretextual, in order to effectuate her prompt removal and vacate a seat for President Trump to fill and forward his agenda to undermine the independence of the Federal Reserve," the lawsuit said.