President Trump has found a new weapon of choice in his retribution campaign against his foes: mortgage fraud claims.

At least three prominent Trump adversaries have been targeted with Justice Department probes into their personal real estate dealings.

The president most recently pointed to allegations against Federal Reserve board of governors member Lisa Cook to justify his effort to fire her. She has already challenged the move in court as “unprecedented and illegal.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) face investigations tied to their mortgage records, as well.

The mortgage fraud claims originated with the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), whose director, Bill Pulte, filed criminal referrals suggesting they may have illegally designated multiple homes as primary residences for lower interest rates and favorable loan terms.

Cook’s Aug. 15 referral alleges that, weeks apart in 2021, she wrote in mortgage documents for properties in Michigan and Georgia that each was her “principal residence.” In 2022, she listed the Georgia property for rent, the referral says.

Pulte said the Fed board member may have violated criminal statutes from bank fraud to making false statements to a financial institution, urging the Justice Department to consider prosecution.

On Thursday night, he said he filed a second criminal referral for Cook, alleging she represented a third property as her “second home,” despite referencing it in other government documents as an investment or rental property.

“3 strikes and you’re out,” the FHFA director said.

© The Hill