{"id":2512111,"date":"2025-11-18T21:34:58","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T02:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/defense-attorney-blasts-doj-mortgage-investigations-into-james-cook\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T21:36:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T02:36:15","slug":"defense-attorney-blasts-doj-mortgage-investigations-into-james-cook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/defense-attorney-blasts-doj-mortgage-investigations-into-james-cook\/","title":{"rendered":"Defense attorney blasts DOJ mortgage investigations into James, Cook"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdefense-attorney-blasts-doj-mortgage-investigations-into-james-cook%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2512111&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A seasoned defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, has strongly contested mortgage fraud allegations brought by the Trump administration against New York Attorney General Letitia James and federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.Lowell filed motions seeking dismissal of charges against james, who was indicted for allegedly misrepresenting a Norfolk, Virginia property to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-fires-fed-governor-lisa-cool-as-mortgage-fraud-charges-consume-yet-another-tool-of-the-biden-admin\/\" title=\"Trump Fires ... Lisa Cool as ... Fraud ... Consume Yet Another Tool of the Biden Admin\">secure favorable mortgage terms<\/a>, and defended cook, who has not been charged but faced scrutiny over mortgage disclosures. Lowell accused federal officials, particularly Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte, of politicizing mortgage oversight to target Democrats, including James and Cook, while ignoring similar cases involving Republicans. He argued that investigations by entities like Fannie Mae found insufficient evidence, but Pulte pushed forward with politically motivated referrals, which escalated into prosecutions. Lowell&#8217;s letter detailed internal FHFA conflicts and efforts to suppress opposition to pulte&#8217;s tactics. He called for the Department of Justice to drop the baseless cases, emphasizing the absence of fraud or criminal intent and describing the actions as government overreach aimed at undermining perceived political adversaries of former President Trump.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Letitia James and Lisa Cook lawyer pushes back on mortgage fraud allegations<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2382888\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>A veteran defense lawyer with a decadeslong career navigating Washington&rsquo;s most politically charged cases sharply pushed back Monday against the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\">Trump administration<\/a>&rsquo;s mortgage fraud inquiries targeting New York Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/letitia-james\/\">Letitia James<\/a> and Federal Reserve Governor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/lisa-cook\">Lisa Cook<\/a>, accusing federal officials of weaponizing thin claims to go after the president&rsquo;s perceived enemies.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3786112\/trump-foes-longtime-washington-lawyer-abbe-lowell-defense\/\">Abbe Lowell<\/a>, long known for representing high-profile political figures, submitted a blistering motion on Monday evening to dismiss the two-count indictment against James, as well as a separate letter to Attorney General&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pam-bondi\/\">Pam Bondi<\/a> defending Cook. Lowell is also representing former national security adviser&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-bolton\/\">John Bolton<\/a>&nbsp;in his prosecution for classified documents and previously represented&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hunter-biden\/\">Hunter Biden<\/a>&nbsp;in his criminal tax and firearm cases. Lowell, at 73, is one of the most prominent attorneys now <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >defending multiple high-profile clients<\/a> in the administration&rsquo;s crosshairs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3890771\/federal-court-blocks-texas-using-new-congressional-map-2026-election\/\">Federal court blocks Texas from using new congressional map for 2026 election<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3890367\/judge-gives-doj-time-fight-release-james-comey-grand-jury-records\/\">Judge gives DOJ more time to fight release of Comey grand jury records<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3890352\/federal-judge-backs-new-york-law-blocking-immigration-arrests-local-courts\/\">Federal judge backs New York law blocking immigration arrests at local courts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former FBI Director James Comey&rsquo;s attorney Abbe Lowell talks to reporters as he leaves the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jose Luis Magana)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Perhaps in no case before this Court has there been a more shocking course of government conduct,&rdquo; Lowell <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.vaed.583341\/gov.uscourts.vaed.583341.109.0.pdf\">wrote<\/a> in a motion filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. He argued that the charges against James and the criminal referrals involving Cook stem from an aggressive and unprecedented push by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fhfa\/\">Federal Housing Finance Agency<\/a> Director <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3886674\/eric-swalwell-bill-pulte-doj-referral-alleged-mortgage-fraud\/\">Bill Pulte<\/a> to use the mortgage oversight agency as &ldquo;a political weapon.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>James <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3844862\/new-york-attorney-general-letitia-james-indicted-on-bank-fraud-charge\/\">was indicted on Oct. 9<\/a> over a Norfolk, Virginia, residence she allegedly misrepresented in order to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/eric-trump-distances-himself-from-fathers-financial-statements-in-new-york-testimony\/\" title=\"Eric Trump testified in New York, distancing himself from his father&#039;s financial statements.\">secure favorable loan terms<\/a>. Prosecutors say she claimed the home would serve as a secondary residence, but instead rented it to a family, a shift they estimate would have saved her nearly $19,000 over the life of the mortgage.<\/p>\n<p>Lowell countered that Fannie Mae investigators found &ldquo;insufficient evidence&rdquo; of wrongdoing but were overridden by Pulte, who &ldquo;pressed forward nonetheless.&rdquo; He said Bondi, Special Attorney Ed Martin, and Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan then worked together &ldquo;to morph a threadbare theory into a federal prosecution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In his separate 17-page letter to Bondi, obtained by&nbsp;the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>, Lowell dismantled the FHFA referrals, accusing Cook of designating multiple homes as primary residences.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">New York Attorney General Letitia James, left, and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, right, appear in separate file photos. Lawyers for both officials pushed back this week against the Trump administration&rsquo;s mortgage fraud inquiries. (Associated Press) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The allegations, he said, rest on &ldquo;one stray reference&rdquo; in a 2021 mortgage document that was &ldquo;plainly innocuous in light of the several other truthful and more specific disclosures&rdquo; Cook provided about her properties.<\/p>\n<p>    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"scribd_iframe_embed\" title=\"2025.11.17 L. Cook Response to FHFA Referral and Exs.\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/embeds\/951097978\/content?start_page=1&amp;view_mode=scroll&amp;access_key=key-ueJ8OvwbPkN0nVv4LBbE\" tabindex=\"0\" data-auto-height=\"true\" data-aspect-ratio=\"0.7729220222793488\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"600\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe> <\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; display: block;\"> <a title=\"View 2025.11.17 L. Cook Response to FHFA Referral and Exs. on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/951097978\/2025-11-17-L-Cook-Response-to-FHFA-Referral-and-Exs#from_embed\" style=\"color: #098642; text-decoration: underline;\">  2025.11.17 L. Cook Response to FHFA Referral and Exs. <\/a> by <a title=\"View reportoftheday's profile on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/user\/697301857\/reportoftheday#from_embed\" style=\"color: #098642; text-decoration: underline;\"> reportoftheday <\/a> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There is no fraud, no intent to deceive, nothing whatsoever criminal,&rdquo; Lowell wrote to President Donald Trump&rsquo;s attorney general.<\/p>\n<p>Cook has not been charged. But Trump <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/business\/2025\/08\/21\/doj-fed-mortgage-lisa-cook\">earlier this year cited<\/a> Pulte&rsquo;s referrals as grounds to try to fire her from the FRB, the first attempted removal of a Fed governor in the institution&rsquo;s history. The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court<\/a> will hear <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/3832013\/supreme-court-lisa-cook-firing-january-oral-arguments\/\">oral arguments on her challenge in January.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Lowell also accused Pulte of singling out Democrats while bypassing similar allegations involving Republicans, including Trump Cabinet members and even individuals in Pulte&rsquo;s own family, according to investigative <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/trump-cabinet-mortgage-fraud\">reporting<\/a> from <em>ProPublica<\/em>. The pattern, Lowell wrote, suggests the referrals were driven not by mortgage market concerns but by political coordination with the White House.<\/p>\n<p>His letter cited internal turmoil at FHFA and Fannie Mae, citing reports that&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/finance\/regulation\/fannie-mae-watchdogs-probed-how-pulte-obtained-mortgage-records-of-key-democrats-07c5cc39?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqfe5r19Da6nSEI_SUvLVs_h_UtEraWiWgu2WPSFn-a3fBGAIKP_dIIPfsie8Xs%3D&amp;gaa_ts=691d07de&amp;gaa_sig=PrzIr8MrdEBnCFl31sAi1e3hB1vDw6aI0r25igM29klnA0VyCejd46-mRdjFCjoVfRYedYWsyXepcJ-08Wl5mQ%3D%3D\">watchdogs<\/a>&nbsp;and ethics <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/fannie-mae-freddie-mac-firing-pulte-data-a4f8c53df74fef83ec7fd07e3d524746\">officials were fired<\/a> or sidelined after resisting Pulte&rsquo;s push to obtain mortgage records for political targets. Some officials were allegedly removed after raising concerns over the legality of obtaining lender data on Democratic officeholders.<\/p>\n<p>Such disputes &ldquo;undercut&rdquo; the credibility of the referrals against Cook, Lowell said, arguing that the full record shows no contradictions &mdash; only &ldquo;cherry-picking one line from one document&rdquo; to justify Trump&rsquo;s attempt to reshape the Federal Reserve.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3786112\/trump-foes-longtime-washington-lawyer-abbe-lowell-defense\/\">TRUMP FOES TURN TO LONGTIME WASHINGTON LAWYER ABBE LOWELL FOR DEFENSE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>James is expected to argue for dismissal at a forthcoming hearing in the Eastern District of Virginia on Dec. 4. The case against Cook remains at the referral stage pending review by the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n<p>Lowell said the DOJ should drop both matters. &ldquo;The referrals are baseless and should not have been made in the first place,&rdquo; he wrote, urging prosecutors to decline further action.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lawyer defends James and Cook against mortgage fraud claims<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2512112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Letitia-James-Lisa-Cook.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[11643,49209,7076,5334,67305],"class_list":["post-2512111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-cook","tag-defense-attorney","tag-doj","tag-james","tag-mortgage-investigations"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Letitia-James-Lisa-Cook.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2512111"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2512115,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512111\/revisions\/2512115"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2512112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2512111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2512111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2512111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}