Members of the Trump administration have attempted to get the president to fire Bill Pulte as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), according to a Wall Street Journal report sourced from unnamed members of the White House team.
The Journal reports, “Some administration officials have grown wary of Pulte’s unorthodox and aggressive tactics and have been gathering information on what they see as his missteps and political vulnerabilities, building on the vetting they did before he got the job, people familiar with the situation said. Those officials believe Pulte has veered outside his lane, creating headaches for the administration. They have pushed the president to replace him, but Trump has resisted, telling confidants he appreciates Pulte’s loyalty, the people said.”
The Journal notes that Pulte has purchased his way into president’s trust via “a pricey membership” at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and through generous campaign donations. The Journal also stated that Pulte “developed a relationship with the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., though he doesn’t consider himself to be a close friend of Pulte.”
White House staffers have been trying to limit Pulte’s contact with Trump, especially outside of Washington.
“After he kept showing up at the golf course in Virginia where Trump regularly plays, White House officials sent a message to staffers on location to watch out for him and make sure he didn’t catch the president unattended,” the Journal reported.
The report also noted how administration officials shared that Pulte’s “idiosyncrasies” have created uncomfortable situations with housing industry leaders. A chief problem occurred with the FHFA’s delaying of Rocket Companies’ planned $9.4 billion acquisition of Mr. Cooper Group.
“Rocket complained to the White House that Pulte, whose agency needed to sign off on the acquisition, was slow-walking the process, people familiar with the situation said,” the Journal stated, adding that “Trump intervened and his chief of staff, Wiles, ordered Pulte to bless the deal, the people said.”
A spokesman for the FHFA was dismissive of the Journal’s coverage, calling its reporting “false.” Pulte did not publicly comment on the report, although he has previously denounced press coverage that has been critical of his tenure.
Separately, Rep. Hakeen Jeffries (D-NY), the House minority leader, is threatening Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), with a potential ethics investigation if the Democrats regain control of Congress.
In response to Pulte’s criminal referral of mortgage fraud charges against Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), a longtime Trump foe, Jeffries released a statement denouncing Pulte.
“Bill Pulte is nothing more than a malignant hack who is abdicating his responsibility to help everyday Americans afford a home, and is instead wasting taxpayer dollars on baseless investigations into Donald Trump’s perceived political enemies,” he said. “Pulte knows what he is doing is lawless, which is why he fired the Acting Inspector General and Fannie Mae ethics officers who were investigating whether he was inappropriately accessing the mortgage details of Democratic officials.”
Jeffries added, “Accountability is coming. The statute of limitations is five years. Every single corrupt sycophant, including Bill Pulte, who continues to disgrace the law will have to answer for their actions.”
Pulte did not comment on Jeffries’ remarks.
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