Federal Housing Financing Agency (FHFA) head Bill Pulte declined to address whether his agency is investigating Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, following reports of mortgage fraud allegations. The issue was raised during an appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box, where anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin referenced Associated Press reporting from July that Paxton, who is running for U.S. Senate, allegedly claimed three different homes as his primary residence in order to secure lower interest rates.
Pulte responded to the question by saying, “As I said, unless it’s something that’s either been made public by lawyers like Norm Eisen or in criminal referrals, I’m not going to comment on any specific situation. If things are made public or if we decide to make them public, then I will talk about it.”
During the interview, Pulte was also asked about the FHFA’s investigation into actions taken by the Trump administration against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Pulte has previously accused Cook of mortgage fraud for designating two properties as her primary residence—an allegation that contributed to her removal from office under President Trump.
Sorkin pressed Pulte on why he would discuss accusations against Cook but not those involving Paxton. In response, Pulte called the comparison “false” and criticized attorneys Norm Eisen and Abbe Lowell for politicizing the agency’s work.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re Republican or Democrat,” Pulte said. “We will look at everything, and we are looking at Republicans, Democrats, you name it, if you commit mortgage fraud in this country. With the resources that we have, we’re trying to do as good of a job as we can.”
The allegations against Paxton come as he challenges incumbent Senator John Cornyn in a primary race. According to reporting from The Texas Tribune (https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/18/john-cornyn-ken-paxton-senate-fundraising/), Cornyn raised $1 million more than Paxton in the first quarter of their campaign. Major real estate figures are split between the candidates; Centurion American CEO Mehrdad Moayedi has supported Paxton while Ross Perot Jr. remains with Cornyn.
Paxton has faced other controversies during his campaign. His wife Angela Paxton filed for divorce in July 2025 citing adultery after details emerged during his impeachment proceedings in 2023 when he was impeached by the Texas House and later acquitted by the Senate.
