Senators Raise Concerns Over Potential Abuse of Power in Criminal Referrals

Eight Democratic senators have raised eyebrows about the actions of Bill Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). They're asking the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to look into whether Pulte has been using his position to target political opponents of President Donald Trump. The senators are worried that Pulte's criminal referrals are more about politics than justice. They've asked the GAO to investigate how Pulte got the information he used to make these accusations and whether he broke any privacy laws by sharing details on social media. Pulte has been vocal about his beliefs and has referred several prominent Democrats and public officials to the Justice Department for alleged mortgage fraud. This includes New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has been indicted, and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, who denies any wrongdoing. The senators also want to know if Pulte used government resources for these personal attacks. They point out that Pulte skipped over the FHFA's inspector general, which is supposed to prevent this kind of abuse of power. This isn't the first time the Trump administration has been accused of playing politics with the justice system. Earlier this month, the White House removed the FHFA inspector general, one of many such officials the administration has dismissed or reassigned. The GAO has received the senators' letter and is considering it. Meanwhile, Pulte, the FHFA, and the White House have all declined to comment.