The Swalwell v. Pulte lawsuit was a civil action filed by U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell of California in November 2025 against Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William “Bill” Pulte, alleging that Pulte illegally accessed his private mortgage records and filed a baseless mortgage fraud referral with the Department of Justice as political retaliation for Swalwell’s criticism of President Donald Trump. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and dismissed without prejudice in March 2026 after the parties filed a joint stipulation of voluntary dismissal. No court ruled on the merits of Swalwell’s claims.1Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Swalwell v. Pulte
What Triggered the Lawsuit
On November 12, 2025, Pulte submitted a criminal referral to the Justice Department alleging that Swalwell had committed mortgage fraud. The referral claimed Swalwell obtained “several million dollars worth of loans and refinancing” by declaring his primary residence as Washington, D.C., and called for investigations into state and local tax fraud, insurance fraud, and “any related crimes.” Pulte also referred the matter to the FHFA’s acting inspector general.2NBC News. Trump Administration Eric Swalwell Federal Criminal Probe Mortgage
Records later obtained by the nonprofit Democracy Forward through Freedom of Information Act litigation showed that Pulte’s referral to the FHFA Office of Inspector General was based on an article from The Gateway Pundit, a far-right news outlet.3Democracy Forward. Weaponization of Federal Housing Finance Agency Investigations Those records also indicated that Pulte had bypassed normal investigative channels, directly demanding mortgage files for public officials and transmitting them to the DOJ himself, even though FHFA statutes reserve criminal investigation authority for the agency’s inspector general rather than its politically appointed director.4Democracy Forward. Pulte Lawsuit Press Release
What Swalwell’s Complaint Alleged
Swalwell filed suit on November 25, 2025, thirteen days after the referral. The case, numbered 1:25-cv-04125, was assigned to Chief Judge James E. Boasberg. Swalwell was represented by the New York firm Hecker Fink LLP.1Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Swalwell v. Pulte
The complaint raised two primary theories. It alleged that Pulte violated the Privacy Act of 1974 by accessing confidential mortgage records held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to build a criminal referral against a political opponent. It also alleged First Amendment retaliation, arguing that Pulte was punishing Swalwell for constitutionally protected speech critical of President Trump. The claims were brought under the Administrative Procedure Act as the vehicle for judicial review.5Hecker Fink LLP. Hecker Fink Files Complaint in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Swalwell v. Pulte Et Al
Swalwell denied the underlying fraud allegations. His complaint asserted that he had “explicitly disclaimed any intent to occupy the District of Columbia home as his primary residence in a sworn affidavit attached to his mortgage agreement” and that he maintained permanent residency in California.6CNN. Eric Swalwell Bill Pulte Lawsuit The lawsuit called the mortgage fraud allegations “patently false” and a “gross mischaracterization” of his residency status, and alleged that Pulte’s referral letter was leaked to the media “with remarkable speed,” prompting conservative commentators to publish details about where Swalwell’s wife and children lived.7CNBC. Swalwell Mortgage Fraud Lawsuit FHFA Pulte
Swalwell asked the court to declare Pulte’s conduct unlawful, order the withdrawal of the criminal referral, and award damages for reputational harm, legal expenses, and emotional distress.7CNBC. Swalwell Mortgage Fraud Lawsuit FHFA Pulte
How the Case Ended
The case did not go to a decision on the merits. On February 13, 2026, Swalwell filed a notice voluntarily dismissing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from the case, narrowing it to Pulte and the FHFA. On March 20, 2026, the parties filed a joint stipulation of voluntary dismissal, and Chief Judge Boasberg issued a minute order on March 23, 2026, dismissing the entire case without prejudice. Because the dismissal was without prejudice, Swalwell could theoretically refile the claims in the future.1Civil Rights Litigation Clearinghouse. Swalwell v. Pulte
The public docket contains no indication of settlement terms, concessions by the government, or a withdrawal of the criminal referral.8CourtListener. Swalwell v. Pulte Docket Swalwell campaign spokesperson Micah Beasley framed the dismissal as a victory: “Pulte threatened a case. We called his bluff. He never brought it. And we just won on the same nonsense issue in California. Case closed.” Pulte’s side offered no public comment.9Politico. Swalwell Drops Lawsuit Against Trump Housing Official Over Mortgage Fraud Allegations
The California reference pointed to a separate matter. Conservative filmmaker Joel Gilbert had filed suit in January 2026 seeking to disqualify Swalwell from the California gubernatorial race on residency grounds. On March 20, 2026, the same day the joint stipulation was filed in the federal case, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Shelleyanne W.L. Chang issued a tentative ruling rejecting that challenge, finding that California law “conclusively presumes” congressional representatives reside at the address in their voter registration and that Gilbert had failed to prove otherwise.10Sacramento Bee. Swalwell Residency Lawsuit Gubernatorial Race
The Broader Pattern the Complaint Invoked
Swalwell’s complaint did not treat the referral against him in isolation. It alleged a “brazen practice” of using Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac records to target political opponents, and named three other prominent Democrats who had been referred to the DOJ for alleged mortgage fraud.7CNBC. Swalwell Mortgage Fraud Lawsuit FHFA Pulte
New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted for allegedly misrepresenting a Norfolk, Virginia, property as a second residence rather than a rental. A federal judge dismissed that indictment on November 24, 2025, ruling that the prosecutor who brought the charges, Lindsey Halligan, had been illegally appointed by the Justice Department.11WTKR. Judge Dismisses Norfolk Mortgage Fraud Case Against NY AG Letitia James A grand jury later declined to re-indict her.12NPR. Grand Jury Rejects New Mortgage Fraud Indictment Against New York Attorney General Letitia James
Senator Adam Schiff was referred in May 2025. Federal prosecutors in Maryland impaneled a grand jury, though reporting later in 2025 indicated the underlying investigation had stalled.13NBC News. Federal Grand Jury Investigating Handling of Adam Schiff Criminal Probe A separate grand jury began investigating whether the handling of the Schiff probe itself involved misconduct by Pulte and DOJ official Ed Martin.14CNN. Justice Department Adam Schiff Ed Martin Bill Pulte
Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook was referred in August 2025 for allegedly claiming two homes as a primary residence. President Trump attempted to fire Cook ten days after Pulte publicly promoted the allegations.15Scotsman Guide. House Dems Accuse Pulte of Weaponizing Mortgage Data Cook’s legal challenge to that firing reached the Supreme Court, where it remained pending as of mid-2026.16CNBC. Intelligence Trump Bill Pulte Tulsi Gabbard
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin opened a congressional probe in September 2025, writing to Pulte that “the roster of the individuals you have chosen to target and publicly refer to DOJ inescapably suggests that your overarching purpose is to punish and smear critics of President Trump.”17House Judiciary Democrats. Ranking Member Raskin Opens Probe Into Abuse of Federal Housing Finance Agency to Target Trump’s Political Enemies Raskin also questioned why no referral was initiated against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican who allegedly claimed three separate homes as a primary residence.15Scotsman Guide. House Dems Accuse Pulte of Weaponizing Mortgage Data
The Oversight Still in Motion
The dismissal of Swalwell’s suit did not end scrutiny of Pulte’s conduct. In November 2025, a group of Democratic senators led by Elizabeth Warren asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether Pulte had misused federal authority and resources in making his criminal referrals. The request asked the GAO to review the legal framework governing FHFA fraud investigations, any procedural changes Pulte introduced after taking office, internal controls at the agency, and whether FHFA resources had been used to investigate public officials in violation of the Privacy Act.18U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Letter to GAO re FHFA Mortgage Fraud Investigations
The GAO formally accepted the request in December 2025, confirming it would determine “whether the agency and its employees misused federal authority and resources.”19Politico. GAO to Investigate if Pulte Mishandled Mortgage Fraud Referrals As of mid-2026, that investigation remained ongoing, with findings expected in late 2026 or early 2027.20CBS News. Bill Pulte Acting Director National Intelligence Trump