Justice Department is investigating handling of Adam Schiff mortgage fraud probe led by Ed Martin and Bill Pulte

Source: CNN Politics

Updated Dec 11, 2025, 4:58 PM ET
PUBLISHED Nov 20, 2025, 12:46 PM ET


The Justice Department is investigating whether people impersonated federal agents in mortgage fraud probes of prominent Democrats, a development that could complicate efforts to prosecute political enemies of President Donald Trump, people briefed on the matter told CNN.

The new probe led by the Maryland US Attorney’s Office and the Federal Housing Finance Agency inspector general is examining the handling of the mortgage fraud investigations into California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources.

One witness in the Schiff matter, a Republican from California named Christine Bish, said she traveled to Greenbelt, Maryland, on Thursday morning in response to a grand jury subpoena. Bish said she spoke to federal investigators inside the courthouse who asked her about people who told her they were working with Trump administration officials leading the mortgage probes. “They’re investigating each other,” Bish later told CNN in a telephone interview. “It’s stupid.”

The subpoena Bish received demanded she give to the prosecutors in Maryland any communications she had with “any person or persons claiming to be” working under the Federal Housing Finance Director Bill Pulte, the Justice Department official Ed Martin, or others “claiming to be acting at the direction or request” of them or their offices, according to the subpoena reviewed by CNN. Pulte helped to prompt the Schiff and James investigations, as well as mortgage fraud-related inquiries into other prominent Democrats.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/20/politics/justice-department-adam-schiff-ed-martin-bill-pulte-christine-bish