Trump's Supreme Court 'Hail Mary' seems to have crashed and burned: analyst

President Donald Trump is not going to win his bid at the Supreme Court to remove Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, predicted Vanderbilt University law professor Brian Fitzpatrick on MS NOW Wednesday afternoon.

Trump ordered Cook removed based on unproven and largely debunked allegations from Federal Housing Finance Agency chief Bill Pulte that she engaged in mortgage fraud. Federal Reserve officials can only be removed by the president for cause, and the Trump administration argues the mere accusation of fraud is sufficient cause to qualify. The Supreme Court separately appears poised to give presidents vastly more power to fire officials at independent agencies, but has already signaled they consider the Fed a special case.

Today's hearing was about whether Cook can be removed for the time being, while the judiciary considers the matter on the merits.

"All right, so, Brian,talk to me about what you heardtoday and where you think thisgoes?" said anchor Katy Tur.

"What I heard was, don't sell your stocks. Thepresident is going to lose," said Fitzpatrick, who previously clerked for the late right-wing Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. "The court seemed prettyunpersuaded by the president'sarguments."

"Why not?" asked Tur.

"I think it seems like thepresident wants it all," said Fitzpatrick. "Hewants full discretion to decidewhat for cause means and firingfed governors. And he doesn'twant any review of thosedecisions. And he says there'sno remedy, even if I do itwrong. And it was really theHail Mary pass, and I don'tthink it landed very well."

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