WASHINGTON—Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) has sued Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, alleging that he abused his position in making a criminal referral against him for mortgage fraud.
The lawsuit, filed on Nov. 25, accuses Pulte of scouring databases at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae for private mortgage records of prominent Democrats to “concoct fanciful allegations of mortgage fraud, which he referred to the Department of Justice for prosecution.”
Pulte referred Swalwell, a critic of President Donald Trump, to the Department of Justice for prosecution on Nov. 13 on charges of mortgage fraud. Pulte accused Swalwell of falsely claiming that the District of Columbia is his home and primary residence to secure a more favorable loan. The lawsuit calls the allegation “patently false.”…