Swalwell sues Bill Pulte over privacy violations in DOJ mortgage fraud referral
Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has filed a lawsuit against Bill Pulte, a former trump management official and director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), over privacy violations related to mortgage fraud referrals. Pulte referred Swalwell and other prominent Democrats, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, and Senator Adam Schiff, to the Department of Justice (DOJ) based on alleged inconsistencies in their mortgage documents. Swalwell’s lawsuit alleges that pulte unlawfully accessed and disclosed private mortgage records from government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac without consent, violating the Privacy Act of 1974 and retaliating against Swalwell for his First Amendment rights. The complaint points to President Donald Trump’s social media posts calling for prosecution of his political opponents as evidence of retaliatory intent linked to Swalwell’s political activities. The FHFA has not commented on the matter, while Democrats in the House Judiciary Committee have previously launched an investigation into Pulte’s actions.Swalwell is also planning to run for California governor in 2026.
Swalwell sues Bill Pulte over privacy violations in DOJ mortgage fraud referral
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) is suing Trump administration official Bill Pulte for referring several of President Donald Trump’s political adversaries to the Justice Department over alleged mortgage fraud.
Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has referred Swalwell, along with New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook, and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), to the DOJ for mortgage fraud investigations throughout the year. His referrals have largely been based on inconsistencies found in their loan documents.
Swalwell filed the lawsuit against Pulte in the federal district court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday.
Counsel for Swalwell alleged in the complaint that Pulte “abused his position by scouring databases at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—two government-sponsored enterprises—for the private mortgage records of several prominent Democrats.”
The California representative filed a lawsuit against Pulte, the FHFA, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on two counts: one for violating the Privacy Act of 1974 and one for First Amendment Retaliation.
Swalwell’s attorneys wrote that the defendants “willfully and intentionally provided” Swalwell’s mortgage information to the DOJ and media without his “prior written consent or knowledge or any lawful justification,” in violation of the Privacy Act.
They also alleged that Pulte’s referral was “calculated to retaliate against and punish” Swalwell for exercising his First Amendment rights, calling it “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and not in accordance with law.”
The complaint pointed to several of Trump’s Truth Social posts, including one in which he called Swalwell a “total sleezebag.” Swalwell also referenced Trump’s highly-cited post in which he said “justice must be served” to people such as Comey and James — a post he reportedly meant to direct message to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“Defendants’ submission of a criminal referral concerning Plaintiff’s confidential mortgage records shortly after President Trump called for the prosecution of his political enemies—including those who participated in his impeachment—demonstrates a causal link between Plaintiff’s protected First Amendment activities and his being the subject of a criminal complaint,” the complaint read.
The FHFA did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s requests for comment from the agency and Pulte.
“When someone commits mortgage fraud, they undermine the faith and integrity of our System. It does not matter who you are – no one is above the law,” Pulte wrote in an August X post about his referral of Cook to the DOJ.
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In September, House Judiciary Committee Democrats opened an investigation into Pulte over his mortgage fraud referrals.
Swalwell is also running for California governor in 2026 to replace term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA).
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