Lawyers for Federal Reserve Board Governor Koch said that fraud charges have become President Trump's "weapon of choice" to exclude dissenters.

The fraud charges against Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook by President Trump have become his "weapon of choice" to eliminate officials obstructing his policy agenda, Cook's lawyer argued in the first hearing of the lawsuit against the dismissal decision. Lawyer Abbe Lowell told the judge in Washington on Friday that Trump's public criticism of the Fed's work indicates his intention to replace those directors who refuse to vote in favor of a rate cut. Cook's side argued that Trump's motives show that there is no justifiable reason for her dismissal.