Trump accuses California Sen. Adam Schiff of mortgage fraud

Citing conclusive evidence reached by Fannie Mae’s financial crimes division, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Schiff reported his primary residence to be in Maryland rather than in California. Primary residence mortgages typically offer more favorable loan terms such as lower interest rates.

“The FRAUD began with the refinance of his Maryland property on February 6, 2009, and continued through multiple transactions until the Maryland property was correctly designated as a second home on October 13, 2020. Mortgage Fraud is very serious, and CROOKED Adam Schiff (now a Senator) needs to be brought to justice,” Trump’s post read.

FHFA declined to comment on the accusations.

Schiff responded on social media platform X in a series of posts. “Since I led his first impeachment, Trump has repeatedly called for me to be arrested for treason. So in a way, I guess this is a bit of a letdown. And this baseless attempt at political retribution won’t stop me from holding him accountable. Not by a long shot,” one of the posts read.

Schiff’s other post suggested that Trump’s “latest attempt at political retaliation” was to distract from “his Epstein files problem.”

A spokesperson for Schiff said that Trump’s “baseless” allegations have been previously debunked. “It’s clear that President Trump is trying to desperately smear Senator Schiff in order to distract from his Epstein files problems, and he is continuing his pattern of abusing his power to attack his political rivals,” the statement continued. “As is routine for a member of Congress representing a district thousands of miles away from Washington with kids to raise, then-Representative Schiff made the decision to buy a home in Maryland. He also maintained a home in California where he lived when not in Washington. The lenders who provided the mortgages for both homes were well aware of then-Representative Schiff’s Congressional service and of his intended year-round use of both homes, neither of which were vacation homes. He has always been completely transparent about this.”

Today’s allegations from Trump follow a report by USA Herald in May 2025 of a “bombshell ethics complaint,” initially filed in October 2024, by Christine Bish and Darren Ellis against Schiff, accusing him of a “pattern of mortgage fraud, voter fraud, and unlawful campaign filings stretching back over two decades.”

The Trump administration has made other mortgage fraud accusations against political opponents in recent months. In early May 2025, New York Attorney General Letitia James was subject to a criminal investigation related to mortgage fraud, following a referral by Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte.

The U.S. Department of Justice alleged that James falsified intentions to make a single-family home in Norfolk, Virginia, her primary residence in a mortgage application, despite serving as attorney general in New York.

James strongly denied the accusations and said they were political retribution. She also called it retaliation for the $455 million judgment her office secured against President Trump and the Trump Organization over inflated property valuations used to secure better loan and insurance terms.