An independent government watchdog announced it opened an investigation into Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, according to NBC News. The move comes after Senate Democrats asked the agency to “promptly” investigate Pulte following his recent Department of Justice referrals targeting some of the president’s political foes.
According to the lawmakers’ letter to the Government Accountability Office, the investigation relates specifically to the “Recent referrals of New York Attorney Letitia James, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and Congressman Eric Swalwell.” The agency previously referred the four to the Department of Justice for mortgage fraud.
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A GAO spokesperson confirmed to NBC that the office had accepted the request.
The spokesperson said the office will first determine the “full scope” of the investigation. They said it could take several months, and the office won’t provide any updates until they finish the process.
What happened under Pulte?
Democrats have repeatedly questioned Pulte about how he obtained the mortgage documents used in his referrals. During an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in September, Pulte said someone sent him a “tip.” He refused to say who sent it.
“I’m not going to explain our sources and methods,” he said during the interview. “We make referrals almost every day. Lisa Cook happened to be one of them.”
The FHFA has access to vast stores of mortgage data via the National Mortgage Database and the Enterprise Public Use Database, which contains data from lenders Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
In August, President Donald Trump fired Cook and cited her referral from Pulte to Attorney General Pam Bondi. The Supreme Court is set to hear the case in January 2026.
Pulte’s referral against James has faced a recent court setback. Following the referral, the DOJ issued a grand jury indictment against James. However, a judge dismissed the case because Trump illegally appointed prosecutor Lindsey Halligan.
In its letter, the GAO said it will review Pulte’s recent actions as FHFA director to see if “the agency and its employees misused federal authority and resources.”
The FHFA has not responded to the announcement. However, on Thursday, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said Pulte is one of Trump’s “most loyal and important advisors,” according to CNN.
“Efforts by the Fake News to sow division inside of President Trump’s all-star administration will not work and are a pathetic attempt to distract away from all of the victories being delivered for the American people,” Cheung said. “He is fully committed to the America First agenda and works tirelessly every day to pursue that.”
