Eric Swalwell Criminally Referred to DOJ on Mortgage Fraud, Tax Fraud Allegations

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Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) has reportedly been criminally referred to the Department of Justice for a potential federal probe into allegations of mortgage fraud, state and local tax fraud, wire fraud and insurance fraud.

Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), sent a letter sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday, alleging that Swalwell may have made false or misleading statements in loan documents, NBC reported on Thursday.

The allegations are reportedly tied to his $1.2 million Washington, D.C., townhouse, which Swalwell listed as his primary residence in 2022, despite representing California’s 14th District and maintaining ties there.

The congressman is accused of making false or misleading statements on the mortgage application to secure a favorable loan.

Members of Congress must be inhabitants of the state they represent when elected, but there is no constitutional requirement that their primary residence remain in the state throughout their term.

The congressman is the fourth Democrat official to face mortgage fraud allegations in recent months. Pulte previously sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department to investigate New York Attorney General Letitia James, California Senator Adam Schiff, and Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook on allegations of mortgage fraud.

Bondi appointed Associate Deputy Attorney General Ed Martin as special attorney to probe the allegations against Schiff and James.

Swalwell, who has played a leading role in numerous anti-Trump efforts in the House, including the Russia collusion hoax, both impeachments, and the Democrats’ sham January 6 investigation, said in a statement that he wasn’t surprised that the Trump administration was targeting him.

“As the most vocal critic of Donald Trump over the last decade and as the only person who still has a surviving lawsuit against him, the only thing I am surprised about is that it took him this long to come after me,” Swalwell told NBC News.

“Like James Comey and John Bolton, Adam Schiff and Lisa Cook, Letitia James and the dozens more to come — I refuse to live in fear in what was once the freest country in the world,” he added. “Of course, I will not end my lawsuit against him. And I will not stop speaking out against the President and speaking up for Californians.”

Swalwell filed a civil lawsuit against Trump in March 2021 over his actions related to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. His lawsuit accuses Trump, along with Donald Trump Jr., Rudy Giuliani, and then-Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), of being “wholly responsible” for the violence, alleging they conspired to block the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory by inciting the riot.