Hi Reader,
President Donald Trump’s administration has vowed to go after anyone who received a lower mortgage rate by claiming more than one primary residence on their loan papers. Trump has used this concern as a justification to target political foes, including Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook, a Democratic U.S. senator and a state attorney general.
Previous administrations have not put such significance on mortgage paperwork, so we got curious about the practice. And our reporters started digging.
We consulted with real estate experts, who said that claiming primary residences on different mortgages at the same time is often legal and rarely prosecuted. And, underscoring how common the practice is, ProPublica found that at least three of Trump’s Cabinet members call multiple homes their primary residences on mortgages.
- Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer entered into two primary-residence mortgages in quick succession, including one for a second home near a country club in Arizona, where she’s known to vacation.
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has primary-residence mortgages in New Jersey and Washington, D.C.
- Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, has one primary-residence mortgage on Long Island and another in Washington, D.C., according to loan records.
All three Cabinet members denied wrongdoing. In a statement, a White House spokesperson said that the Cabinet members “have followed the law and they are fully compliant with all ethical obligations.”
Real estate experts also told ProPublica that, in its bid to wrest control of the historically independent Federal Reserve and go after political enemies, the Trump administration has mischaracterized mortgage rules. Its justification for launching criminal investigations against people like Cook, they said, could also apply to the Trump Cabinet members.
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Thanks so much,
Jessica Rojas
Proud ProPublican
