The House, A Mortgage, And A Looming Question: Inside Swalwell's DC Home Referral

Well, here’s a story that’s certainly raising some eyebrows in Washington and beyond. It seems Congressman Eric Swalwell, a prominent California Democrat, finds himself at the heart of a rather sticky situation, one involving his $1.2 million Washington D.C. home and, honestly, a federal criminal referral concerning alleged mortgage fraud. It’s quite the entanglement, you could say.

This whole affair stems from a complaint originally filed way back in October of 2023, specifically by the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT). They’d flagged an ethics concern with the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE). And what exactly was the gist? Well, it pointed to what appeared to be some rather significant discrepancies on Swalwell’s financial disclosure forms, particularly when compared to public records tied to his property.

Now, this isn’t just some whisper in the halls of Congress. The OCE, after looking into it, passed the torch to J. Russell George, the Inspector General for the Department of Justice. George, in turn, felt it necessary to issue a criminal referral to Attorney General Merrick Garland. A criminal referral, mind you, for potential mortgage fraud. That’s a weighty phrase, isn’t it?

The property in question, purchased back in 2017, seems to have a few peculiar details attached to its financing. For instance, there’s a trust involved – the "Christine Pelosi Revocable Trust" – which, by all accounts, appears to be linked to Christine Pelosi, daughter of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It’s listed as holding the mortgage note for Swalwell’s home. And yet, this particular mortgage, along with a separate trust that allegedly holds the property’s deed, didn't exactly pop up on Swalwell’s disclosure forms as clearly as, perhaps, they should have.

It’s a peculiar situation, isn’t it, when a public official’s personal finances, especially something as substantial as a D.C. home, draw this kind of scrutiny? Swalwell's team, for their part, has been pretty consistent in asserting that all disclosures were accurate and in line with House rules. But the very fact that the Department of Justice is now being asked to look into it? That’s a different kind of headline entirely. And honestly, it makes you wonder just how meticulously these things are usually tracked. The saga, it seems, is far from over.