Housing Official’s Push on Mortgage Fraud Gives Trump a Political Weapon

The New York Times ^ | Aug. 26, 2025 Updated 3:57 p.m. ET | Alan Rappeport

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The director of Federal Housing Finance Agency could win the president an opening on the Federal Reserve board.

Bill Pulte finally may have captured a head at the Fed.

For weeks, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency has publicly called for the firing of Jerome H. Powell, the Federal Reserve chair, and issued warnings on social media about a crackdown on mortgage fraud.

That crackdown appears to have now ensnared a different member of the Federal Reserve Board, Lisa Cook. On Monday evening, President Trump fired Ms. Cook because of allegations that she falsified records to obtain favorable terms on a mortgage, a step that could give him greater control over the central bank.

After Mr. Trump announced that Ms. Cook was fired, Mr. Pulte celebrated on social media.

“Thank you President Trump for your commitment to stopping mortgage fraud and following the law,” Mr. Pulte wrote on X. “If you commit mortgage fraud in America, we will come after you, no matter who you are.”

Mr. Pulte, who has more than three million followers on social media, has used his position at the housing finance agency to attack and investigate Mr. Trump’s political enemies. He has accused Mr. Powell of mismanaging the renovation of the Fed’s headquarters and initiated mortgage fraud investigations into Letitia James, the New York attorney general who prosecuted Mr. Trump and his companies, and Senator Adam B. Schiff, the California Democrat who led the effort to impeach Mr. Trump during his first term.

Then he seized on Ms. Cook.

Last week Mr. Pulte posted images of her signatures that appeared to show that she improperly designated both a condominium in Atlanta and a home in Ann Arbor, Mich...

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TOPICS: Government
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[Jacquerie]

But wait. There is more.

Yesterday, and even worse for Ms. Cook, her list of lies lengthened. Conservative education activist Chris Rufo (former multiplier recipient), accused Cook of stealing other people’s work in her handful of published works as a U. Mich. professor— nearly all of which were race-hustling nonsense. (Ignore my shocked face.)

How could this happen? Rufo risks a ripe defamation lawsuit if he’s wrong. He wasn';'t wrong about former Harvard president Claudia Gay.

Now, I realize this new academic dishonesty makes Ms. Cook look like the latest Biden DEI hire, someone having zero business infesting one of the most politically powerful appointed offices in the world, but don’t jump to conclusions. It could be worse. It’s not like she wrote “attorney expenses” on a check stub or anything.

At her appointment, Lisa Cook was trumpeted as the first black woman on the Fed board. (Cue claims of racism.) But as far as I can tell, that’s where her accomplishments end. Cook’s sparse academic record has produced no widely cited papers. She’s written no economic books. She never worked in finance. She never won any significant awards that weren’t based on race hustling.

https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/causation-tuesday-august-26-2025

[V_TWIN]

“Gives Trump a Political Weapon”

So what would these lib publications have the government do......turn a blind eye to illegal activity......unbelievable.

Not a word from these pizza chits about turning a misdemeanor past the statute of limitations into a felony and trying to jail Trump with it.

These people really piss me off.

[TigersEye]

It is patently unfair to go after politicians who commit mortgage fraud since,
apparently, only Democrat pols commit mortgage fraud.

[Red Badger]

They started the ball rolling.

Now it’s come back...................

[God luvs America]

LOL- so NYChitty goes after the President on some “trumped up” mortgage fraud charge and assess a penalty so insane, the LW appeals court of NY throws it out....yet when real mortgage fraud is committed by dims and investigated all of a sudden the cry is “NO FAIR!!!”

Like the Reid Rule, like the Biden Rule, this is just another democRAT implemented tactic that’s coming back around to bite them in the butt!!!

[Liz]

FTA——For weeks, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency issued warnings on social media about a crackdown on mortgage fraud.

That crackdown appears to have now ensnared a different member of the Federal Reserve Board, Lisa Cook. On Monday evening, President Trump fired Ms. Cook because of allegations that she falsified records to obtain favorable terms on a mortgage.

Mr. Pulte posted images of her signatures that appeared to show that Cook improperly designated both a condominium in Atlanta and a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan as her permanent residence...

[Rowdyone]

So Biden appointed Cook but she now argues Trump cannot remove her. How’s that work?