JOHANNESBURG - Nearly 600 economists, including Nobel Prize winners,
have signed an open letter defending Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.
They warn against political interference in the US central bank.
President Donald Trump has been at loggerheads with the Fed, and claims he was firing Cook over alleged mortgage fraud.
Its charges she denies, which has not been formally accused of.
Cook, the first Black woman on the Fed board, is challenging her removal in court.
Economists say Trump’s actions threaten the Fed’s independence, a principle seen as vital to maintaining credible economic policy.
He has also been critical of chairperson Jerome Powell's reluctance to cut interest rates.