Bill Pulte (Govt. photo)
By the time Bill Pulte was born on May 28, 1988, his grandfather, William J. Pulte, had turned Pulte Homes in Metro Detroit into a powerhouse in the national homebuilding industry.
Now, grandson Bill, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, is making a name for himself in Washington by helping President Donald Trump attack his enemies, accusing them of mortgage fraud involving multiple properties.
The Associated Press reports that Bill Pulte, 37, honed his attack skills on his family before coming to Washington.
AP reports:
He accused his grandfather’s widow of insider trading. He was allegedly the driving force behind a website trashing an aunt as a “fake Christian.” And he publicly blasted another relative as “a fat slob,” “weirdo” and “grifter,” according to court records from a bitter legal feud pursued by Pulte that ensnared PulteGroup, the multibillion-dollar homebuilding giant his grandfather founded.
In any other administration, that background could foreclose the possibility of landing a top government post. But in Trump’s Washington, the attention-seeking and hyper-online millennial has unexpectedly become a major player. The latest measure of his influence came this week when New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat who angered Trump with her courtroom pursuits of him, was indicted on bank fraud charges following a protracted campaign by Pulte.
What’s also interesting is that Reuters reported last month that the mortgage fraud allegations Pulte has lodged against James and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook are similar to ones Pulte’s father, Mark Pulte, and stepmother, Julie Pulte, have made. The Pulte parents have claimed primary residences in wealthy neighborhoods in both Michigan and Florida.
The primary residence declaration can often help homeowners secure lower mortgage rates and receive tax benefits. Generally, you’re only allowed one primary residence — the place where you live the majority of the time.
