Prosecutors blindsided "inexperienced Trump loyalists" in a shocking mortgage fraud investigation into whether Trump administration officials shared information to unauthorized people about a criminal probe into a Democratic lawmaker, according to a report.
Christine Bish, a GOP Congressional candidate and California real estate agent, gathered and sent documents to the administration in April, just a few months before President Donald Trump announced a mortgage fraud investigation of Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) in July, according to The Washington Post Monday.
When Trump posted on Truth Social sharing documents — highlighted in yellow — they were the ones provided by Bish who was surprised to see that they were posted, "but she knew Trump’s post drew from her files because of the highlights marking up the page," the report claimed.
A prosecutor, an FBI agent and the Federal Housing Finance Agency inspector general questioned her for more than an hour Thursday over her communications with Ed Martin, a Justice Department official, Federal Housing Finance Administration Director Bill Pulte, and others involved in the administration. They issued a subpoena to her and reportedly focused on anyone who was affiliated with Martin or Pulte.
"Now Bish’s experience is providing an unexpected window into how inexperienced Trump loyalists in top administration positions are wielding their power," The Post reported.
Pulte has accused several Trump enemies, including Schiff, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and New York Attorney General Letitia James, of mortgage fraud.
Pulte and Martin are reportedly not under investigation by a grand jury.
"Grand jury probes are just one way that officials can investigate conduct, though they are a necessary step in securing indictments," The Post reported.
"Yet the interactions highlight the unconventional and sometimes erratic nature of the administration’s attempt to prosecute Democrats on charges of mortgage fraud. Bish’s brief visit to Washington — and accompanying media blitz — showed how Pulte, Martin and their confidants are operating, with direct messages to strangers on social media and out-of-the-blue phone calls. And it revealed potential weaknesses in the mortgage fraud case against Schiff, one of the president’s Democratic foes," according to The Post.