Exclusive-Democratic senators request GAO probe of Trump official's conduct in criminal referrals

By Marisa Taylor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Eight Democratic U.S. senators on Monday asked a congressional watchdog to "promptly" investigate whether Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte misused his authority by making criminal referrals against perceived opponents of President Donald Trump.???

In a letter sent Monday to the Government Accountability Office, the senators expressed concerns that Pulte's referrals of prominent Democrats and public officials to the Justice Department were motivated by partisan politics and constituted a misuse of government resources.?

"Mr. Pulte's public accusations appear to have solely targeted prominent Democrats and public officials, including those President Trump has publicly threatened with political and criminal retribution," the senators wrote. "If FHFA resources were used to target public officials for personal or partisan motives, the public has a right to know."

Pulte, the FHFA and the White House didn't respond to Reuters' requests for comment.?

In a statement, a GAO spokesperson said the agency had received and was evaluating the senators' letter.?

The senators' request stems from Pulte's allegations that officials including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook committed mortgage fraud. From his perch at the FHFA, an agency that oversees elements of the mortgage industry, Pulte has been a vocal critic of the Republican administration's foes and used information about the targeted officials' home loans to request criminal probes by the Justice Department.

In James' case, now being pursued by a federal prosecutor in Virginia, Pulte's referral led to a criminal indictment. James has pleaded not guilty. Cook and others targeted by Pulte have denied wrongdoing.?

On Monday, Cook's attorney, Abbe Lowell, in a letter asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to review Pulte's accusations, claiming they "fail on even the most cursory look at the facts." A spokesperson at the Justice Department declined to comment.?

The lawmakers who signed the letter to the GAO, an independent and non-partisan agency of the legislative branch, include Senator Elizabeth Warren, ranking Democrat on the banking committee, and Senator Dick Durbin, ranking Democrat on the judiciary committee. The GAO often conducts investigations related to the executive branch at the request of Congress.

In their letter, the senators asked the GAO to investigate how Pulte accessed information to make the mortgage-fraud claims, and whether his public denunciations against the officials, often made to his many followers on social media, violated any privacy laws. They also asked whether official FHFA resources, like staff time or privileged data, were used improperly.?

"Mr. Pulte's actions demand scrutiny," the senators wrote.

The lawmakers cited reporting, including news coverage by Reuters, that first aired criticism about Pulte's referrals. Last month, Reuters reported that Pulte skipped over the FHFA's inspector general when making the accusations, bypassing rules meant to ensure that federal officials don't abuse their power for partisan purposes.?

Earlier this month, Reuters reported, the White House ousted that inspector general. The official was one of nearly two dozen inspectors general at agencies across the federal government that the Trump administration has dismissed or reassigned since taking office.

(Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch. Editing by Paulo Prada.)