WASHINGTON (FNN) – A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday by U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell accuses Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte of abusing his authority to improperly access and weaponize confidential mortgage data belonging to Swalwell and other political critics of President Donald Trump.

The lawsuit comes less than two weeks after Pulte referred the California Democrat to the Justice Department for possible mortgage-fraud prosecution — an investigation Swalwell says is politically motivated and retaliatory. Swalwell is seeking a court order requiring Pulte to withdraw the referral, along with unspecified monetary damages, alleging violations of federal protections and his First Amendment rights.

Pulte did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Lawsuit Claims Retaliation Against Trump Critics

Swalwell, currently running for governor of California, previously served as a House impeachment manager during Trump’s 2021 impeachment trial. His filing argues that Pulte has acted as a central figure in what Swalwell describes as “a campaign of retribution” against political opponents of the president.

“Those efforts have resulted in the Department of Justice conducting a series of high-profile criminal investigations and prosecutions nakedly targeting some of the President’s most outspoken critics,” the lawsuit states.

The Nov. 13 referral from Pulte to the Justice Department alleged that Swalwell intentionally misrepresented his Washington, D.C., residence status to secure favorable mortgage terms. Swalwell denies this, saying his sworn affidavit clarified that the property would serve as his wife’s primary residence, not his own.

Mortgage Investigation Scandal Widens

Internal investigations have already begun within the FHFA regarding whether Pulte and his associates improperly accessed private mortgage files. Pulte, who installed himself as chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has drawn alarm from industry observers by purging watchdog officials and leadership from the agencies.

Swalwell’s suit calls Pulte’s actions “unprecedented and unlawful,” particularly the practice of obtaining confidential mortgage records and using them to push DOJ criminal referrals.

The Justice Department previously named Ed Martin as a special prosecutor overseeing mortgage-fraud inquiries into prominent Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. On Monday, a federal judge dismissed the separate criminal cases against James and former FBI Director James Comey, ruling that the prosecutor responsible for filing charges had been improperly appointed.

WASHINGTON (FNN) — A longtime FBI employee who was nearing completion of special agent training was dismissed last month for displaying a Pride flag at his workspace, according to a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.

David Maltinsky, who worked for the FBI for 16 years, had completed 16 of 19 weeks of agent training at Quantico when he said he was handed a termination letter from FBI Director Kash Patel and told he was being dismissed for the “inappropriate display of political signage.” The suit asserts that the flag, previously flown outside the Los Angeles field office during Pride Month in 2021, was displayed inside with prior approval from supervisors.

Background and Training Dismissal

Maltinsky previously served as an intelligence specialist in the Los Angeles field office and was pursuing a long-held goal of becoming a special agent. The Progress Pride flag — which includes rainbow stripes and additional colors to represent LGBTQ+ individuals and communities of color — had been gifted to him after being taken down from its official display at the field office.

The lawsuit states that Maltinsky was a supporter of diversity efforts within the bureau. These efforts were halted under a January executive order from President Donald Trump that eliminated federal diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Legal Claims and Government Response

The suit names Patel, the FBI, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and the Justice Department as defendants. It seeks Maltinsky’s reinstatement, a declaration that his dismissal violated First Amendment rights to free speech and Fifth Amendment guarantees of equal protection.

The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment on pending litigation.

Maltinsky’s attorney, Christopher M. Mattei, called the firing unconstitutional, saying, “This case is about far more than one man’s career — it’s about whether the government can punish Americans simply for saying who they are.”

Broader Personnel Disputes at the Bureau

The filing comes amid other lawsuits brought by FBI officials alleging improper personnel actions taken in President Trump’s second term. In September, three former senior FBI officials claimed they were dismissed as part of a “campaign of retribution” allegedly driven by political pressure.

MIAMI, Fla. (FNN) — Airlines across the globe canceled or delayed flights entering the weekend as carriers rushed to install software updates on Airbus A320-series aircraft after new findings linked a recent JetBlue altitude-loss incident to computer-code vulnerabilities.

Cause of the Software Issue

Airbus announced Friday that an analysis of the October JetBlue event found that intense solar radiation may corrupt vital data used by flight-control systems on A320 aircraft models. The FAA, along with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, ordered airlines to implement a corrective software update. More than 500 U.S.-registered planes are affected.

The EU regulator cautioned that the order may cause “short-term disruption” to flight schedules. The issue stems from a prior software update that inadvertently introduced the data instability problem.

Airline Response and Expected Disruptions

In Japan, All Nippon Airways—operating over 30 A320-class aircraft—canceled 65 domestic flights scheduled for Saturday and warned of possible further cancellations Sunday. In the U.S., the timing coincides with heavy post-Thanksgiving travel volume, the nation’s busiest period for air traffic.

American Airlines, which flies about 480 aircraft in the A320 family, reported that 209 require the software fix. Most updates were expected to be completed Friday, with a small remainder finishing Saturday. United Airlines said six aircraft were affected. Delta estimated fewer than 50 of its A321neo planes require the patch. Hawaiian Airlines reported no impact.

Air India said via X that more than 40% of its required updates have been successfully completed with no cancellations so far.

Industry analyst Mike Stengel of AeroDynamic Advisory said the fix can often be installed between flights or during routine overnight maintenance. “Definitely not ideal for this to be happening on a very ubiquitous aircraft on a busy holiday weekend,” he said, but noted the repair takes only a few hours to complete.

Background: JetBlue Incident and Airbus Market Impact

At least 15 people were injured on the Oct. 30 JetBlue flight from Cancún to Newark after the plane rapidly dropped in altitude, forcing an emergency diversion to Tampa, Florida.

Airbus — headquartered in France with corporate registration in the Netherlands — remains one of the world’s dominant commercial aircraft producers, alongside Boeing. The A320 family is the top-selling single-aisle aircraft series in commercial aviation and the main competitor to Boeing’s 737 line.