Rep. Eric Swalwell on Tuesday filed a civil lawsuit in opposition to Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, alleging violations of the Privacy Act and First Amendment over Pulte’s criminal referral of him to the Justice Department for alleged mortgage fraud violations.
In the swimsuit, filed in federal court docket in Washington, DC, the California Democrat and outspoken critic of President Donald Trump alleged that Pulte abused his place as federal housing chief “by scouring databases at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac” for personal mortgage information of outstanding Democrats, together with Swalwell.
Pulte’s actions represented “a gross abuse of power that violated the law,” Swalwell alleged, by concentrating on him for prosecution “based solely on his protected political speech and views.”
Swalwell alleged that the referral violated the Privacy Act as a result of the legislation “explicitly forbids federal agencies from disclosing—or even transmitting to other agencies—sensitive information about any individual for any purpose not explicitly authorized by law.” He requested the court docket to direct Pulte to withdraw the legal referral he submitted to DOJ and for damages over alleged violations of the Privacy Act.
“Defendants’ use and disclosure of Representative Swalwell’s mortgage documents flouted those basic prohibitions,” the lawsuit mentioned.
NCS has reached out to Pulte for touch upon the lawsuit.
As housing chief, Pulte has referred a number of of Trump’s perceived enemies for prosecution to DOJ on allegations of mortgage fraud, together with New York Attorney General Letitia James, Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Earlier this month, Pulte referred Swalwell for prosecution over related allegations that he claimed a number of properties as main residences in his mortgage paperwork.
Pulte’s referral led to an indictment in opposition to James. But that legal case was dismissed on Monday by a choose, who found that former White House aide Lindsey Halligan, the prosecutor who brought the charges, was unlawfully appointed. NCS and others reported last week that the Justice Department was investigating whether or not individuals impersonated federal brokers in the probes of Schiff and James.
Pulte additionally publicly pushed for the resignation of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and launched the allegations that Trump used to attempt to hearth Cook from the Fed — a transfer that shall be before the Supreme Court in January.
In his lawsuit, Swalwell denied the mortgage fraud allegations, saying that he “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 stays a everlasting resident of California.
Swalwell wrote in the lawsuit that the allegations in opposition to him got here to mild on the similar time that he was getting ready to announce his campaign for governor of California.
Swalwell has lengthy been a outstanding Trump critic. He served on the House Intelligence Committee investigating Trump and Russia through the president’s first time period, and he labored as an impeachment supervisor throughout Trump’s 2021 Senate trial after the January 6, 2021, riot on the Capitol.
Swalwell sued Trump in 2021, claiming that the president’s speech on the White House Ellipse simply earlier than the riot pushed his supporters in the direction of violence. The case remains to be continuing in federal court docket.