Federal housing director Bill Pulte has asked prosecutors to investigate Letitia James over alleged mortgage insurance fraud involving applications to insurers in Florida and Illinois.

Previous attempts to bring similar charges against James have failed in court, including a dismissed case in Virginia.

James, a known opponent of Donald Trump, previously secured a major fraud judgment against him, though financial penalties were later overturned and are under appeal.

The investigation is part of a broader pattern in which the Trump administration has pursued inquiries into political rivals, The Guardian has reported.

James’s lawyer has dismissed the allegations as politically motivated and part of an ongoing vendetta, while Pulte urges investigations into alleged mortgage fraud.