The Government Accountability Office said Thursday it has opened an investigation into Federal Housing Finance Authority Director Bill Platte, who has served as an attack dog against President Donald Trump’s enemies.
The congressional watchdog’s investigation was requested by a group of Senate Democrats, who asked the GAO to determine whether Pulte and other FHFA employees “abused federal authority and resources” in obtaining information about Trump’s targets.
“Specifically, we request an investigation into the recent referrals of New York Attorney General Letitia James, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and Congressman Eric Solwell to the U.S. Department of Justice for mortgage fraud.”
“Despite repeatedly claiming that his investigations are unbiased, Mr. Platt’s public accusations have entirely targeted prominent Democrats and government officials, including those President Trump has publicly threatened with political and criminal retaliation,” the Democrats wrote.
The letter asks for “a review” of how FHFA investigates mortgage fraud with the agency’s current rules on disclosure of personal financial records and information, and examines what changes, “if any,” Platt has made to the mortgage fraud investigation process.
“I can confirm that GAO has accepted this request following our standard process,” a GAO spokesperson told CNBC on Thursday.
“One of the first things GAO has started is to determine the full scope of what we will cover and the methodology we will use,” the spokeswoman said. “It could take a few months, and until that work is done, we can’t provide an estimate on the completion date.”
William Platte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FFFA) nominee for U.S. President Donald Trump, during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee confirmation hearing on Thursday, February 27, 2025, in Washington, DC, U.S.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Solville, D.Calif., filed a lawsuit against Platte last week, accusing the FHFA chief of abusing his authority.
Svalvell’s lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., alleges that Platte improperly accessed and improperly leaked Congressional private mortgage records in retaliation for his political speech.
“Director Pulte has challenged political opponents to suppress their private records,” Solwell said in a statement last week.
An FHFA spokesman declined to comment on the investigation.
