A senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration has formally referred Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) to the Justice Department for a possible federal criminal investigation. The referral centers on allegations of mortgage and tax fraud tied to a home in Washington, D.C.
In a letter sent Wednesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte claimed Swalwell may have submitted false or misleading information on multiple loan documents according to NBC News. The matter has also been forwarded to the agency’s acting inspector general.
The action arrives amid Trump’s continued public calls for the prosecution of his political rivals. Pulte has already submitted referrals for a number of prominent Trump critics — New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff of California, and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, a Biden nominee — all on similar mortgage-fraud allegations. Each has denied any wrongdoing.
According to the referral, Swalwell executed several million dollars in loans and refinancing deals by listing his primary residence as Washington, D.C. It seeks a full investigation into potential mortgage fraud, tax fraud at both the state and local level, insurance fraud, and any related offenses.
“As the most vocal critic of Donald Trump over the last decade and as the only person who still has a surviving lawsuit against him, the only thing I am surprised about is that it took him this long to come after me,” Swalwell said in a statement on X.
“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 added, referencing previous targets of the administration. “Of course, I will not end my lawsuit against him. And I will not stop speaking out against the President and speaking up for Californians.”
Swalwell is now the fourth Democrat in recent months to face mortgage-related accusations.
Fannie Mae officials who were recently pushed out of their roles had been investigating whether Trump appointee Bill Pulte improperly obtained mortgage files belonging to prominent Democrats, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke with The Wall Street Journal this week.
The company’s ethics and investigations unit had received internal complaints claiming that senior leaders directed staff to pull the mortgage records of James and others, the people said. Investigators were working to determine who issued the directives, whether Pulte had the authority to request the documents, and if proper procedures were followed, according to those familiar with the probe.
Trump and Swalwell have had one of the most openly adversarial relationships in modern Washington politics. Their dynamic has never been cordial or cooperative — it has been defined from the start by public attacks, investigations, and high-profile political clashes. During Trump’s presidency, Swalwell became one of his loudest Democratic critics, repeatedly accusing Trump of undermining democratic norms and even suggesting he had “a compromised relationship” with Russia.
Swalwell’s role only grew after he became one of the House impeachment managers during Trump’s second impeachment, putting him directly at the center of the effort to remove Trump from office.
Trump, for his part, has frequently mocked, attacked, or dismissed Swalwell, treating him as a political foe and a symbol of Democratic opposition. Their feud intensified during congressional investigations into Trump’s conduct, as Swalwell used his committee positions to scrutinize Trump, his advisers, and his policies. The relationship is not personal — it’s entirely political — but it is deeply hostile.
