President Donald Trump’s campaign to oust Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, if successful, would give him the opportunity to exert more influence over the US central bank by securing a majority on its seven-member board of governors.

(Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department plans to investigate Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, with a top official informing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell of the probe and encouraging him to remove her from the board, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

Economists have long preferred independent central banks because they can more easily take unpopular steps to fight inflation.