WASHINGTON, Nov 17 (Reuters) – Eight Democratic U.S. senators on Monday asked a congressional watchdog to \u201cpromptly\u201d investigate whether Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte misused his authority by making criminal referrals against perceived opponents of President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a letter sent Monday to the Government Accountability Office, the senators expressed concerns that Pulte\u2019s referrals of prominent Democrats and public officials to the Justice Department were motivated by partisan politics and constituted a misuse of government resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMr. Pulte\u2019s public accusations appear to have solely targeted prominent Democrats and public officials, including those President Trump has publicly threatened with political and criminal retribution,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cIf FHFA resources were used to target public officials for personal or partisan motives, the public has a right to know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pulte, the FHFA and the White House didn’t respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement, a GAO spokesperson said the agency had received and was evaluating the senators’ letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The senators\u2019 request stems from Pulte\u2019s 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\u2019s foes and used information about the targeted officials\u2019 home loans to request criminal probes by the Justice Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In James\u2019 case, now being pursued by a federal prosecutor in Virginia, Pulte\u2019s referral led to a criminal indictment. James has pleaded not guilty<\/u><\/a> . Cook and others targeted by Pulte have denied wrongdoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday, Cook\u2019s attorney, Abbe Lowell, in a letter asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to review Pulte\u2019s accusations<\/u><\/a> , claiming they \u201cfail on even the most cursory look at the facts.\u201d A spokesperson at the Justice Department declined to comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMr. Pulte\u2019s actions demand scrutiny,\u201d the senators wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lawmakers cited reporting, including news coverage by Reuters, that first aired criticism about Pulte\u2019s referrals. Last month, Reuters reported that Pulte skipped over the FHFA\u2019s inspector general<\/u><\/a> when making the accusations, bypassing rules meant to ensure that federal officials don\u2019t abuse their power for partisan purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n