I guess Bill Pulte found clerical errors in Raphael Bostic’s mortgage paperwork too.

Or maybe some other flunky of Donald Trump’s was going to dredge up “new” insider trading allegations against Bostic, who was cleared last year of wrongdoing in connection with dozens of trades which, as the Fed’s inspector general put it, “created an ‘appearance of acting on confidential FOMC information.'”

I’m just joking. Bostic’s decision to retire, announced on Wednesday, was probably just that: A decision to retire. Like Adriana Kugler’s not-at-all curious decision to step away from the Fed board over the summer just as Trump and Pulte were turning the screws on Jerome Powell and readying allegations of mortgage fraud to level against Lisa Cook.

Here’s Bostic’s official statement:

It’s been my distinct honor and privilege to lead the Atlanta Fed for these past eight and a half years. I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with the Atlanta Fed’s outstanding staff to fulfill the Federal Reserve’s mission and serve the Sixth District and the American people. I’m proud of what we accomplished during my tenure to turn the lofty goal of an economy that works for everyone into more of a reality, and I look forward to discovering new ways to advance that bold vision in my next chapter.

Bostic’s not a board member, and he wouldn’t have voted on policy next year except as an alternate, but it’s notable that his term ends in February, when the Fed board will vote to certify reappointments.

Recall that critics’ main concern vis-à-vis Trump and the Fed is that by cobbling together a de facto board majority — via Chris Waller, Miki Bowman, Stephen Miran (or whoever replaces him in January), a new Chair and, if SCOTUS will abide her firing, Cook’s open seat — Trump could in theory veto regional Fed president appointments.

Folks like Bostic — i.e., the regional reserve bank chiefs — are chosen locally and aren’t subject to Senate confirmation. However, those appointments can be nixed by the Fed board. Typically, the appointment and reappointment process is a rubber-stamp exercise, but some worry Trump could politicize the process by pressuring his board majority to veto regional bank heads seen as insufficiently amenable to his agenda. By retiring in February, Bostic will spare himself the reappointment process.

It was always a stretch to believe Bowman and Waller would go along with a scheme to politicize the regional reserve bank reappointment process, but as we’ve seen time and again so far in his second term, it’s best to stay out of Trump’s way if you can. Especially if you’re black.

Bostic, 59, could’ve served another half a dozen years if he chose. The mandatory retirement age is 65.