Bill Pulte, who runs the Federal Housing Finance Agency under President Donald Trump, confirmed Thursday that he filed a criminal referral against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook for alleged mortgage fraud.

Philadelphia Fed researchers in a 2023 report assessed the number of “fraudulent investors” in the mortgage market, which they defined as those who had more than one owner-occupied home purchase loan within four quarters after the first one was originated.

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte suggested Thursday that his referral of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook for alleged mortgage fraud was part of a broader crackdown on the issue.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal has blasted Donald Trump for hounding Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook during his dispute with the U.S. central bank. The WSJ editorial board hit out at the “ominous turn in political lawfare” Wednesday after Bill Pulte,

The president’s second term has been marked by his eagerness to go after his foes and his assertions of presidential authority. Both traits are on display as he seeks control over the central bank.

The surprise early resignation of former Fed Governor Adriana Kugler, another Biden pick, gives Trump an early opening to nominate someone to the central bank’s board and steer its monetary policy trajectory more toward his preferred path. He has named one of his economic aides, Stephen Miran, to fill the slot on an interim basis.

Pulte posted a copy of the letter to social media on Wednesday morning. In response, Trump has called on Cook to step aside.

A Justice Department official is set to probe Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook after she was accused by a member of President Donald Trump’s administration of committing mortgage fraud, according to a letter sent Thursday to Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

The president’s calls for Lisa Cook, a Fed governor, to resign are diverting attention from economic issues as top central bankers from around the world gather in Jackson, Wyo.

Bill Pulte — a private equity executive and social media philanthropist — has quickly become an outspoken fixture in the Trump administration’s efforts to overhaul the central bank and use a little-known agency to investigate perceived enemies.