A top housing official in President Donald Trump's administration has referred California Rep. Eric Swalwell, a frequent critic of the president, to the Justice Department for a potential federal criminal investigation into alleged mortgage and tax fraud tied to a Washington, D.C., home, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, alleged in a letter Wednesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi that Swalwell may have made false or misleading statements in loan documents.
The California Democrat is the fourth member of his party in recent months to face similar allegations, reports NBC News.
The matter has also been referred to the FHFA's acting inspector general, a source said.
The referral outlines several million dollars' worth of loans and refinancing involving the D.C. property, based on statements that the home was Swalwell's primary residence.
It urges investigators to examine potential mortgage fraud, state and local tax fraud, and insurance fraud.
The move comes as Trump continues to publicly call for the prosecution of his political opponents.
Swalwell, one of the president's most persistent critics on Capitol Hill, dismissed the development as politically motivated.
"As the most vocal critic of Donald Trump over the last decade and as the only person who still has a surviving lawsuit against him, the only thing I am surprised about is that it took him this long to come after me," Swalwell said in a statement to NBC News.
He added that he would not be intimidated, likening the situation to other Trump critics who have faced investigations.
"Of course, I will not end my lawsuit against him and I will not stop speaking out against the President and speaking up for Californians," Swalwell said.
He also invoked Mark Twain:
"'Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it,'" he said. "Mr. President, do better. Be Better."
Pulte has previously referred several other high-profile Democrats to federal prosecutors, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff of California, and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, who was nominated by former President Joe Biden.
All have denied wrongdoing.
Bondi has appointed a special attorney to examine the allegations against Schiff and James.
The FHFA pushed back this week against a Wall Street Journal report that former Fannie Mae watchdogs had been removed after investigating whether Pulte improperly accessed mortgage records of Democratic officials.
The agency called the report's anonymous claims "false and defamatory."
Pulte has defended his actions, telling Bloomberg News that he relies on public documents in the probes.
"Is it mortgage fraud to say that you live in one area and not another area? Yes, it is mortgage fraud," he said.
Speaking on CNBC, he added: "It doesn't matter whether you're Fed Governor Cook or Joe Blow on the street, if you commit mortgage fraud, we are going to report it."
Swalwell and Trump have clashed repeatedly since 2016.
A former prosecutor, Swalwell was an early advocate for investigating allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election and played key roles in both impeachment proceedings against Trump.
He has said he "fully" expects to be prosecuted by the administration and told CNN in September that he is "ready for it."
Trump and his allies have long claimed that Swalwell was compromised by ties to a suspected Chinese spy, allegations he has denied.
A House Ethics Committee investigation ended in 2023 with no findings of wrongdoing.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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