A millennial ally of former President Donald Trump has been accused of transforming a typically low-profile government housing agency into a covert weapon for political retribution, according to lawsuits and insider reports.
From Real Estate Heir to 'Agent of Chaos'
Bill Pulte, a 37-year-old Florida real estate heir and private equity founder, was appointed by Trump as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) in March last year. The role traditionally oversees the massive home loan bodies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. However, Pulte, dubbed an 'agent of chaos' by the Financial Times, is far from a conventional bureaucrat.
With a personal fortune estimated at $200 million and a massive social media following of three million on X, built through viral philanthropy and collaborations with figures like MrBeast, Pulte brought a hyper-online, combative style to the staid agency. His rapid rise within MAGA circles has now positioned him, according to critics and legal filings, as the president's unofficial 'chief retribution officer'.
Weaponising Mortgage Records for Political Warfare
Insiders told Bloomberg that Pulte has been the driving force behind the Trump administration's decision to subpoena Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. Powell has hit back, calling the criminal probe revenge for refusing Trump's demands to lower interest rates, stating it threatens the Fed's independence.
More explosively, a lawsuit filed by Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell accuses Pulte of abusing his position to access the confidential mortgage records of prominent Trump critics. Swalwell alleges Pulte scoured Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac databases to obtain private borrowing information on targets including himself, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and California Senator Adam Schiff.
The lawsuit claims Pulte then fabricated 'fanciful allegations of mortgage fraud' from these records and referred them to the Department of Justice for prosecution. In November, the DoJ accused Swalwell of falsely claiming his Washington D.C. home as his primary residence, a charge the Congressman denies. Similar accusations have been levelled at the other named Democrats.
Legal Reckoning and a Pattern of Confrontation
Pulte is now under investigation by the Government Accountability Office over accusations he 'misused federal authority and resources'. He has denied involvement in the Powell subpoena, telling Bloomberg Television: 'The DOJ is outside of my purview.'
However, his personal vendetta is clear. At a January press conference, he stated, 'We do need to get rid of Jay Powell... He's a disaster.' He also claimed Fed Governor Lisa Cook 'will be indicted for mortgage fraud' and is 'guilty as hell'.
This confrontational approach predates his government role. The Associated Press reported that before targeting political enemies, he 'practiced on his own family' during a bitter legal feud over the PulteGroup homebuilding empire, publicly insulting relatives.
Swalwell's lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, accuses Pulte of violating the First Amendment and the Privacy Act. It states his actions represent 'the use of government machinery to chill and silence the government's critics' as part of Trump's 'campaign of retribution'. The outcome of this legal battle could define the limits of political power within US government agencies.
