Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
Yuri Gripas | Reuters
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., filed a 19-page lawsuit Tuesday successful U.S. District Court successful Washington, D.C., alleging Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte abused his authorization to marque "fanciful" owe fraud allegations against him and different critics of President Donald Trump.
The lawsuit asks the tribunal to state Pulte's behaviour unlawful, bid him and the FHFA to retreat a transgression owe fraud referral, and grant damages for violations of national privateness law.
Swalwell — who announced Friday that helium is moving for governor of California — alleges successful the ailment that Pulte improperly accessed and leaked his backstage owe records successful retaliation for his governmental speech, violating some the Privacy Act of 1974 and the First Amendment.
"Director Pulte has combed done backstage records of governmental opponents to soundlessness them," Swalwell posted successful a connection connected X.
The suit alleges Pulte's referral of the substance to the Justice Department was "patently false," noting that Swalwell had sworn successful an affidavit that his Washington, D.C., location would beryllium his wife's superior residence and that helium remained a California resident.
Swalwell's lawyers enactment successful the filing that the disclosures landed conscionable arsenic Swalwell prepared to motorboat his gubernatorial bid. The leak of Pulte's referral missive to the media occurred "with singular speed," the suit states, followed by blimpish commentators posting details astir his location wherever his woman and children live, enactment Swalwell's suit says accrued information risks for his family.
The filing casts Pulte's actions arsenic portion of a broader effort by the Trump medication to usage national agencies and the courts against governmental opponents. Swalwell, a seven-term congressman and erstwhile House impeachment manager during Trump's second impeachment, has agelong been 1 of the astir vocal critics of the president.
"Pulte's brazen signifier of obtaining confidential owe records from Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac and past utilizing them arsenic a ground for referring idiosyncratic homeowners to DOJ for prosecution is unprecedented and unlawful," the suit argues.
In caller months, Pulte has issued akin transgression referrals to Swalwell's to different Trump critics, among them New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.
James' indictment was dismissed by a national justice Monday portion Schiff faces an ongoing probe though has not been charged. Cook besides has not been charged, though Trump cited the transgression referral arsenic origin successful his effort to occurrence her from the committee of governors for the Federal Reserve successful August. The firing is presently connected clasp pending a Supreme Court review.
Pulte defended his agency's transgression referral of Cook to CNBC in August, saying it wasn't politically motivated. "We marque referrals astir each day. Lisa Cook happened to beryllium 1 of them," helium said.
In an interview with "Squawk Box" successful September, Pulte refused to archer big Andrew Ross Sorkin wherever the extremity came from.
"I'm not going to explicate our sources and methods, wherever we get tips from, who are whistleblowers," Pulte said.
Swalwell's suit says nary comparable FHFA transgression referrals person been made against Trump allies. There is evidence that apical Trump officials similar Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made mortgage claims akin to ones Trump cited to effort to occurrence Cook.
Spokespeople for the FHFA and DOJ did not instantly respond to CNBC's petition for comment.
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