Report: FHFA director Bill Pulte is Trump's 'secret attack dog'

By LAURA PARNABY, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

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A millennial Donald Trump ally has rapidly risen through the MAGA ranks to become the president's secret attack dog - and the rumored mastermind behind many of the DoJ's most high-profile prosecutions against Democrat rivals. Hyper-online Florida real estate heir Bill Pulte (pictured with Trump) was made Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) in March last year, a typically sedate role which oversees national home loan bodies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Since then, Pulte has hit the headlines several times, including when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened to punch him in the face at a private members club in DC, and when he convinced Trump to back a radical 50-year mortgage plan.

A millennial Donald Trump ally has rapidly risen through the MAGA ranks to become the president's secret attack dog - and the rumored mastermind behind many of the DoJ's most high-profile prosecutions against Democrat rivals. Hyper-online Florida real estate heir Bill Pulte (pictured with Trump) was made Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) in March last year, a typically sedate role which oversees national home loan bodies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Since then, Pulte has hit the headlines several times, including when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened to punch him in the face at a private members club in DC, and when he convinced Trump to back a radical 50-year mortgage plan.

Social media star turned housing tsar

The housing tsar, who is set to inherit billions and made his own fortune through his private equity firm Pulte Capital Partners, built a strong social media presence in the years before he entered government. He amassed a following of three million on X through footage of himself giving tens of thousands of dollars to people in need, while collaborating with the likes of 27-year-old billionaire YouTube creator and Gen Z favorite MrBeast on Instagram. Dubbed an 'agent of chaos' by the Financial Times and 'Little Trump' by critics who accuse him of exercising his power far beyond the typical limits of his role, Pulte is not the conventional candidate to lead the staid FHFA.

The housing tsar, who is set to inherit billions and made his own fortune through his private equity firm Pulte Capital Partners, built a strong social media presence in the years before he entered government. He amassed a following of three million on X through footage of himself giving tens of thousands of dollars to people in need, while collaborating with the likes of 27-year-old billionaire YouTube creator and Gen Z favorite MrBeast on Instagram. Dubbed an 'agent of chaos' by the Financial Times and 'Little Trump' by critics who accuse him of exercising his power far beyond the typical limits of his role, Pulte is not the conventional candidate to lead the staid FHFA.

Pulte faces claims of misusing federal power against critics 

In a stark break from the work of his predecessors, the 37-year-old has allegedly been weaponizing the inconspicuous housing agency to attack Trump's political rivals behind the scenes as the president's unofficial chief retribution officer. He is accused in one lawsuit of using 'government machinery to chill and silence the government's critics' by turning banal mortgage paperwork into a key form of attack. He is currently under investigation by the Government Accountability Office over accusations that he 'misused federal authority and resources' by pursuing information about Trump's enemies, according to CNBC.

In a stark break from the work of his predecessors, the 37-year-old has allegedly been weaponizing the inconspicuous housing agency to attack Trump's political rivals behind the scenes as the president's unofficial chief retribution officer. He is accused in one lawsuit of using 'government machinery to chill and silence the government's critics' by turning banal mortgage paperwork into a key form of attack. He is currently under investigation by the Government Accountability Office over accusations that he 'misused federal authority and resources' by pursuing information about Trump's enemies, according to CNBC. 

Democrat lawmaker Eric Swalwell (pictured) has identified himself as one of these targets in a lawsuit launched against Pulte which accuses him of rifling through his confidential borrowing records and handing them over to the DoJ as 'evidence' of fraud. Swalwell's lawsuit claims that Pulte is also behind similar investigations into Attorney General Letitia James, Lisa Cook, a Democratic appointee to the Federal ReserveBoard of Governors, and California Senator Adam Schiff. Now, insiders have told Bloomberg Pulte was also the driving force behind the Trump administration's decision to subpoena Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell.

Democrat lawmaker Eric Swalwell (pictured) has identified himself as one of these targets in a lawsuit launched against Pulte which accuses him of rifling through his confidential borrowing records and handing them over to the DoJ as 'evidence' of fraud. Swalwell's lawsuit claims that Pulte is also behind similar investigations into Attorney General Letitia James, Lisa Cook, a Democratic appointee to the Federal ReserveBoard of Governors, and California Senator Adam Schiff. Now, insiders have told Bloomberg Pulte was also the driving force behind the Trump administration's decision to subpoena Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. 

Powell (pictured) has hit back, saying the criminal probe was an attempt to seek revenge against him for refusing to heed Trump's demands to lower interest rates. 'The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president,' he said. 'This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions - or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.'

Powell (pictured) has hit back, saying the criminal probe was an attempt to seek revenge against him for refusing to heed Trump's demands to lower interest rates. 'The threat of criminal charges is a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the president,' he said. 'This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions - or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.'

Pulte distances himself from DOJ probe

Pulte has denied any involvement in Powell's case, saying that the Department of Justice (DOJ) alone was behind the subpoena accusing him of lying about the scope and cost of the $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed's headquarters in Washington DC. 'The DOJ is outside of my purview. This is out of my purview. I don't know anything about it, and I would defer you to the DOJ,' Pulte said when quizzed about the issue on Bloomberg Television. However, has made his personal feelings about Powell clear. 'We do need to get rid of Jay Powell,' he told a press conference on January 9. 'He's a disaster. What he's caused with the building is a disgrace to the Fed. The Fed has no credibility as a result of him. And his lack of investigation into Lisa Cook, who I think will be indicted for mortgage fraud - and I think she's guilty as hell, that's just my opinion as somebody who knows mortgages pretty well. It's a disgrace what's happened at the Fed.'

Pulte has denied any involvement in Powell's case, saying that the Department of Justice (DOJ) alone was behind the subpoena accusing him of lying about the scope and cost of the $2.5 billion renovation of the Fed's headquarters in Washington DC. 'The DOJ is outside of my purview. This is out of my purview. I don't know anything about it, and I would defer you to the DOJ,' Pulte said when quizzed about the issue on Bloomberg Television. However, has made his personal feelings about Powell clear. 'We do need to get rid of Jay Powell,' he told a press conference on January 9. 'He's a disaster. What he's caused with the building is a disgrace to the Fed. The Fed has no credibility as a result of him. And his lack of investigation into Lisa Cook, who I think will be indicted for mortgage fraud - and I think she's guilty as hell, that's just my opinion as somebody who knows mortgages pretty well. It's a disgrace what's happened at the Fed.'

Reports cite history of family feuds and public attacks 

According to the Associated Press, before Pulte began targeting Trump's political enemies, he 'practiced on his own family', including allegedly trashing an aunt as a 'fake Christian' on one website. He also accused his grandfather's widow of insider trading, and publicly blasted another relative as 'a fat slob,' 'weirdo' and 'grifter,' per court records from a bitter legal feud pursued by Pulte which also involved PulteGroup. PulteGroup is the multibillion-dollar homebuilding giant his grandfather William Pulte founded in 1956. Pulte is married to Diana Lorenzini Pulte (pictured together), who works for one of his companies, Pulte Health, according to her LinkedIn profile.

According to the Associated Press, before Pulte began targeting Trump's political enemies, he 'practiced on his own family', including allegedly trashing an aunt as a 'fake Christian' on one website. He also accused his grandfather's widow of insider trading, and publicly blasted another relative as 'a fat slob,' 'weirdo' and 'grifter,' per court records from a bitter legal feud pursued by Pulte which also involved PulteGroup. PulteGroup is the multibillion-dollar homebuilding giant his grandfather William Pulte founded in 1956. Pulte is married to Diana Lorenzini Pulte (pictured together), who works for one of his companies, Pulte Health, according to her LinkedIn profile. 

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