The Government Accountability Office has opened an investigation into Federal Housing Finance Authority Director Bill Pulte, who has served as an attack dog against President Donald Trump’s enemies.
The probe by the congressional watchdog was requested by a group of Senate Democrats on Nov. 17.
“I can confirm that GAO has accepted this request following our standard process,” a GAO spokesperson told CNBC when asked about the investigation into Pulte on Thursday.
“The first thing GAO does as any work begins is to determine the full scope of what we will cover and the methodology to be used,” the spokesperson said. “This can take a few months, and until that is done, we cannot provide any estimates on a completion date.”
William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) nominee for US President Donald Trump, during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Pulte this year has urged the Department of Justice to prosecute, for purported mortgage fraud, several public figures who have angered Trump.
Those people include New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Rep. Eric Swalwell, another California Democrat.
Swalwell last week sued Pulte, accusing the FHFA chief of abusing his authority to make “fanciful” allegations of mortgage fraud.
Swalwell’s lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleges that Pulte improperly accessed and leaked the congressman’s private mortgage records in retaliation for his political speech.
“Director Pulte has combed through private records of political opponents to silence them,” Swalwell said in a statement last week.
This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.
