Trump Administration Goes After Another Foe Over Alleged Mortgage Fraud: Report
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a longtime critic of President Donald Trump who worked on the Jan. 6 committee and Trump’s first impeachment inquiry in 2019, has been referred to the Justice Department over allegations of tax and mortgage fraud.
NBC News reported Thursday that someone familiar with the referral said Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday requesting an investigation into Swalwell.
The Justice Department declined to comment to News themezone.
The referral reportedly involves millions of dollars in loans tied to a Washington, D.C. property that Swalwell has claimed as his primary residence.
In a statement to News themezone on Thursday, Swalwell said the only thing that “surprised” him about the referral was that “it took him so long to come get me.”
Swalwell is one of several lawmakers who still have a live civil case against Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. He said Thursday that the referral would not prevent him from pursuing that litigation.
Win McNamee via Getty Images
Swalwell is the latest Trump foe to be pursued by the Justice Department led by Bondi, a former ally of the president. And he is not the first Democrat to be accused of mortgage fraud by the administration.
New York Attorney General leticia jamesGovernor of the Federal Reserve Lisa Cook and Senator Adam Schiff (California) have been accused of mortgage or tax fraud by the administration. Schiff’s investigation has reportedly stagnant for now. Like Swalwell, Schiff also worked on the Trump impeachment inquiry, and the two have never had a friendly relationship: Trump has regularly insulted Schiff for years, accusing him of being “corrupt.”
James, whom Trump has publicly referred to as “scum,” successfully prosecuted Trump for tax and business fraud in the past. Trump was ordered to pay about $515 million after interest; An appeals court upheld the civil fraud ruling in October but found the fine excessive.
Cook faced mortgage fraud allegations involving a home in Michigan when Trump attempted to fire her from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, which came as he attempted to pressure the Fed to lower interest rates. Michigan officials said in September that there were no evidence that Cook had violated rules on mortgages for primary residences. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in January on whether Trump really has the authority to remove Cook of the board.
Trump singled out Schiff, James and former FBI Director James Comey for prosecution in September in a Truth Social post that was apparently intended to be a private message to Bondi.
Comey is accused of lying to Congress in 2020 and obstructing justice, charges he and his lawyers say are completely trumped up. The odds look good. will get your case dismissed after a hearing in federal court in Virginia on Thursday, where a judge raised real questions about the legitimacy of the acting U.S. attorney hand-picked by Trump and Bondi to charge Comey. Comey argues that the case against him is vindictive and that he is being attacked by the administration because, simply put, Trump has hated him since his first term in the White House, when Comey raised an investigation into possible ties between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. Trump has regularly denigrated Comey for years, calling him a liar and “lying slime ball.”
John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser and frequent critic of the president, was accused in October accused of illegally retaining and transmitting national defense information. He has denied any wrongdoing.
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“Like James Comey and John Bolton, Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook, Letitia James and many more to come, I refuse to live in fear in what was once the freest country in the world,” Swalwell said in a statement to News themezone.
He added: “As Mark Twain said, ‘Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.’ Mr. President, do better. Be better.”
Swalwell has long been harangued by Trump loyalists and disinformation campaigns led by Trump. In 2023, Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia promoted tremendously distorted and false claims about Swalwell, including that he had a sexual or personal relationship with alleged Chinese spy Christine Fang. A House Ethics investigation made not find any irregularity by the legislator. Swalwell also cooperated with an FBI investigation, which also found no bad actions.