Rep. Ro Khanna says Trump is following Nixon's playbook in attempt to 'interfere' with the Federal Reserve

Source: NBC News

Aug. 31, 2025, 9:23 AM EDT


WASHINGTON — Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said that Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook should release her mortgage documents but accused President Donald Trump of “following Richard Nixon’s playbook to interfere with” the Federal Reserve.

Khanna’s comments in a Sunday interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” come after Trump moved to fire Cook on Monday, pointing to allegations of mortgage fraud. Cook is challenging the move in a lawsuit.

The lawmaker was referring to President Richard Nixon pressuring the then-Fed chair to keep interest rates lower before the 1972 election, which Nixon won before resigning two years later because of the Watergate scandal.

Decades later, Trump’s attempt to fire Cook marked an extraordinary move to exert control over an independent agency, a move that Democrats have painted as “authoritarian” and a “power grab,” while Trump accused Cook of “deceitful and potentially criminal conduct.”

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/ro-khanna-trump-nixon-playbook-federal-reserve-lisa-cook-mortgage-rcna228264