Democracy Forward has filed suit against the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), asking the District Court for the District of Columbia to order the agency to disclose information related to the politicization of the administration of justice in compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Democracy Forward submitted the following FOIA that have been unanswered, despite passing the legal deadline for response. The lawsuit alleges:
- Communications between FHFA and DOJ about these criminal referrals
- Emails and messages sent by Pulte referencing these officials
- Any requests Pulte made to Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac for peoples’ mortgage records
- Pulte communications with White House officials, including President Trump
- Records showing the FHFA Inspector General’s role in gathering or demanding mortgage documents
In the suit, the organization cites “highly publicized criminal referrals” from FHFA Director William J. Pulte to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) against several prominent public officials, including Senator Adam Schiff, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
The James referral resulted in an indictment—one that accuses James lying on her application for a $109,600 mortgage to buy a property in Norfolk, Virginia. in 2020. The indictment alleges that she promised her financial lenders it would be a secondary property for her personal use but that she instead rented it out.
In the indictment, the government says James benefited from “ill-gotten gains” of $18,933 from rental proceeds, a lower borrowing rate, and a higher seller credit. Personal residences tend to receive lower loan rates than do rental properties.
What’s at Issue
The actions against James and others “suggests that the nation’s chief housing finance regulator is inappropriately using his authority to access the mortgage records of the president’s perceived opponents in an attempt to support politicized prosecutions,” according to Democracy Forward. “These referrals were then publicly promoted by Pulte, President Trump, and others on television and social media, including the release of mortgage documents and signatures. President Trump used these referrals to demand prosecutions or resignations of these officials—demonstrating a coordinated attempt to weaponize the justice system for political retaliation.”
“We cannot allow government agencies to be used as political weapons to intimidate or punish public servants,” s Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward,” said in a prepared statement. “When government officials misuse their power to target perceived opponents, they don’t just violate the law—they undermine the fabric of our democracy. The American people deserve transparency, accountability, and a justice system that is devoid of partisan retaliation.”
Editor’s Note: MortgagePoint reached out to FHFA for comment on Monday, October 20, but did not receive a response as of this posting.
