Congressional watchdog initiates investigation into Trump's housing finance chief Bill Pulte

Washington The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has announced it will investigate the recent actions of Bill Pulte, Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), according to a confirmation from the congressional oversight office.

The inquiry follows a letter from leading Senate Democrats urging the GAO to examine Pulte's conduct at the helm of the FHFA. The senators specifically requested that the watchdog review his referrals of New York Attorney General Letitia James, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and Congressman Eric Swalwell to the U.S. Department of Justice over alleged mortgage fraud.

Officials at NBC News first reported that the GAO agreed to undertake the investigation. The senators emphasized that they want the GAO to assess whether Pulte or FHFA employees "misused federal authority and resources."

A GAO spokesperson stated, "We have accepted this request following our standard procedures. Our initial step is to define the full scope of the review and determine the methodology for the investigation."

The FHFA has not yet issued a comment regarding the probe. As part of the legislative branch, GAO handles congressional requests for audits and investigations related to government spending and potential misconduct.

Pulte has faced criticism after his referrals of James, Schiff, Swalwell, and Cook to the Justice Department. Critics of the Trump administration allege that Pulte may be leveraging his position to target political figures.

Author: Jackson Miller