In a striking escalation of his political battles, former President Donald Trump has turned to allegations of mortgage fraud to target his political adversaries. Among those implicated are New York Attorney General Letitia James, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, and Senator Adam Schiff, all of whom are now under scrutiny for alleged misrepresentations in mortgage applications. Trump’s campaign against these figures has raised questions about the intersection of politics and legal accountability. Mortgage fraud, defined as the deliberate misrepresentation of information to secure a loan, is a rare and complex offense. According to data from Cotality, only one in 116 mortgage applications in Q2 2025 were flagged as potentially fraudulent, representing less than 1% of cases. Occupancy fraud, which involves falsely claiming a property as a primary residence, is even less common. Despite Trump’s aggressive push for legal action, experts argue that proving malicious intent in such cases is notoriously difficult. Clifford Rossi, a finance professor at the University of Maryland, noted that errors on mortgage forms can often be unintentional, making it challenging to establish deliberate wrongdoing. The involvement of Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte has further complicated the matter, with critics accusing him of violating ethics rules by publicly advocating for investigations. As the legal battles unfold, the broader implications of Trump’s tactics on the U.S. political landscape remain a subject of intense debate.
Trump wants his foes prosecuted for a crime experts say is hard to prove
