Exclusive: Trump ousts watchdog of US housing regulator involved in mortgage probes of his foes, sources say

Source: Reuters

Exclusive: Trump ousts watchdog of US housing regulator involved in mortgage probes of his foes, sources say

By Sarah N. Lynch, Chris Prentice and Marisa Taylor
November 3, 20259:59 PM ESTUpdated 3 hours ago

Summery
* FHFA's acting inspector general Joe Allen removed amid political tensions
* Pulte bypassed Inspector General in pursuing cases against Trump foes
* Trump administration has removed nearly two dozen agency watchdogs
* U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren demands answers from FHFA Director Pulte

WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The internal watchdog for the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency is being removed from his role, four people familiar with the matter said, at a time when the housing regulator is playing a role in President Donald Trump's targeting of perceived political enemies.

The ouster of Joe Allen, FHFA's acting inspector general, follows the agency's director, Bill Pulte, becoming an outspoken voice in support of the Trump administration. Across the government, the Trump administration has so far fired or reassigned close to two dozen agency watchdogs, who police waste, fraud and abuse. It has also defunded the group that supervises those offices.

The FHFA did not immediately respond to emails and a call seeking comment. The four people spoke on condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to discuss internal moves at the agency.

Created after the 2008 financial crisis, the FHFA is typically a low-profile regulatory office, but Pulte has launched a new hotline targeting mortgage fraud and made public criminal referrals against a series of Trump foes including New York Attorney General Letitia James, as well as Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook and California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/watchdog-being-ousted-us-housing-regulator-involved-trump-crackdown-sources-say-2025-11-03/

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Reposted by Mike Masnick
https://bsky.app/profile/mmasnick.bsky.social

“Allen received notice of his termination from the White House after he made efforts to provide key information to prosecutors…The information he turned over was constitutionally required, two of them said…”

www.reuters.com/world/us/wat...

— Anna Bower (@annabower.bsky.social) 2025-11-04T05:30:30.154Z

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Anna Bower
‪@annabower.bsky.social‬

“Allen received notice of his termination from the White House after he made efforts to provide key information to prosecutors…The information he turned over was constitutionally required, two of them said…”

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/watchdog-being-ousted-us-housing-regulator-involved-trump-crackdown-sources-say-2025-11-03/

Exclusive: Trump moves to fire watchdog of US housing regulator involved in crackdown, sources say
The internal watchdog for the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency is being removed from his role, four people familiar with the matter said, at a time when the housing regulator is playing a role in President Donald Trump's targeting of perceived political enemies.
www.reuters.com
November 4, 2025 at 12:30 AM
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