Protective detail requested for housing official who asked for probes of NY atty general, Fed governor, Sen. Adam Schiff

Source: CBS News

Updated on: March 13, 2026 / 5:28 PM EDT


The Health and Human Services watchdog's office has been asked to provide a temporary security detail for Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, sources with direct knowledge of the request tell CBS News. The request for the security detail from the Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General is unusual because Pulte's federal agency is not part of the department.

Pulte received death threats after he asked the Justice Department to investigate New York Attorney General Letitia James for mortgage fraud, two of the sources said. A grand jury indicted James last fall, but the charges were dismissed after a federal judge determined that the U.S. attorney who secured the indictment had been unlawfully appointed.

Credible threats against Trump administration officials have increased, prompting more and more officials to seek security details. Earlier this week, the Justice Department confirmed that Attorney General Pam Bondi had recently relocated to a military base. The Department denied a New York Times report that listed threats related to her handling of the Epstein Files as a reason for the move, but did not refute its reporting that she had received threats related to drug cartels.

The request for Pulte was made by FHFA Acting Inspector General Christian Schrank, who until December worked as the deputy inspector general for investigations at the health department, two of the sources added.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hhs-watchdog-bill-pulte-fhfa-protective-detail/