President Donald Trump’s housing finances director Bill Palt repeatedly refused to provide details on Thursday about where he got the “tip” that denies Gov. Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud.
“I’m not going to explain the sources and ways to get tips for being a whistleblower,” Pulte said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
“It’s reckless to me to do that,” he said.
That denial comes after CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin pointed out that telling Cook’s target in a torrent of multiple criminal referrals to the Department of Justice and offensive social media posts is creating a perception of “political weaponization.”
“If, for example, a hint comes from within the administration, or even from inside your agency with someone who works for you, that causes awareness issues,” Sorkin said.
However, Pulte bristled the question.
“I don’t need to help you explain things to you, Andrew,” he replied.
Bill Pulte, Director of the Federal Housing and Finance, speaking at CNBC’s Squawk Box on September 4, 2025.
CNBC
When he was asked again later in the interview about the cause of the hint, Pulte stated, “I think we are worried about what was wrong. I think there is a suspected crime here. Why don’t we talk about crime? Why are we criticizing investigators?”
Trump has moved from the Federal Reserve Governor’s committee to Fire Cook for a “cause” in response to an allegation by Pulte, which is currently being investigated by the Justice Department. Pulte accused Cook of claiming multiple properties as their primary residences.
Trump has relentlessly urged the central bank and its chairman Jerome Powell to lower interest rates, predicting that he will soon have a “majority” to vote for those rates on the Fed Committee.
Cook denied committing mortgage fraud in the past. She sued Trump to block her from firing.
Pulte, director of federal housing finance agencies, denied CNBC that his actions against Cook were politically motivated.
“We refer you almost every day. Lisa Cook happened to be one of them,” he said.
However, Pulte treats Cook very differently than others targeted by FHFA for potential mortgage violations. Since revealing his allegations, he has sent out numerous social media posts criticizing both Cook Powell.
And when Sorkin asked if Pilt was looking at Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, Pulte said he would not comment as he reportedly claimed three properties as his primary residence.
“If things are public, or if we decide to publish them, I’ll talk about it,” he said.
The interview came within two hours when Pulte was scheduled to hold a press conference on the cook outside of federal court in Washington, D.C.
However, Pulte suddenly canceled the presser Wednesday afternoon, saying in an X post he “doesn’t respect the process.”
In an interview Thursday, he said, “I don’t want to say why I didn’t necessarily do that.”
