Topline
Trump administration official Bill Pulte has referred Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., to the Justice Department for possible instances of mortgage and tax fraud, multiple outlets reported Thursday, the latest instance of the Trump administration using mortgage filings to go after President Donald Trump’s political enemies.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks at a press conference on January 25, 2023 in Washington, DC.
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Key Facts
Pulte, who leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday recommending the Justice Department investigate Swalwell, NBC first reported Thursday citing anonymous sources.
Criminal referrals to the DOJ do not necessarily mean that the agency will take them up for an investigation, or that they will result in criminal charges.
The allegations against Swalwell concern alleged “false or misleading statements in loan documents,” NBC reports, which center on the congressman’s Washington, D.C., property and issues with Swalwell declaring it as his primary residence.
Swalwell is now at least the fourth high-profile Democrat the Trump administration has investigated over their real estate holdings, joining New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., while former FBI Director James Comey, another Trump critic, was indicted on separate charges of lying to Congress.
Only James has so far been charged with a crime related to her mortgage filings, while reported investigations into Schiff and Cook remain pending.
The DOJ has not yet responded to a request for comment, and Swalwell—describing himself as “the most vocal critic of Donald Trump over the last decade”—said in a statement the only thing that surprised him about the criminal referral “is that it took [Trump] this long to come after me.”
Chief Critic
“Like James Comey and John Bolton, Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook, Letitia James and the dozens more to come — I refuse to live in fear in what was once the freest country in the world,” Swalwell told NBC. “As Mark Twain said, ‘Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.’”
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2025/11/13/trump-administration-targets-rep-eric-swalwell-for-alleged-mortgage-issues-latest-democrat-facing-those-allegations/
