Washington — The Government Accountability Office is opening an investigation into Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte's recent actions, the watchdog arm of Congress confirmed to CBS News.
The probe stems from a letter from top Senate Democrats, who wrote to GAO requesting an investigation of Pulte's actions as head of the FHFA. They asked the congressional investigative arm to look into "referrals of New York Attorney General Letitia James, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and Congressman Eric Swalwell to the U.S. Department of Justice for mortgage fraud." NBC News was first to report that GAO had agreed to the request.
File: William Pulte testifies at his confirmation hearing to be Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency before Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee on Feb. 27, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The senators said they want GAO to "determine whether the agency and its employees misused federal authority and resources."
"I can confirm that GAO has accepted this request following our standard process," a GAO spokesperson told CBS News. "The first thing GAO does as any work begins is to determine the full scope of what we will cover and the methodology to be used."
The FHFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
GAO, which is part of the legislative branch, responds to congressional requests for audits and investigations regarding government spending, as well as allegations of criminal or civil misconduct.
Pulte has come under scrutiny after referring New York Attorney General Letitia James, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook to the Justice Department for criminal referrals. Some Trump administration critics say Pulte is using his authority to target political opponents.
