The document shows the Justice Department examining its handling of the mortgage fraud investigation into Senator Schiff

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is considering the handling of the mortgage fraud investigation into Sen. Adam Schiff, including the possible involvement of people who claimed to be acting at the request or direction of two Trump administration officials who were pushing the investigation into the California Democrat, according to a document reviewed by The Associated Press.

Federal authorities involved in Schiff’s investigation in Maryland interviewed a Republican congressional candidate on Thursday who promoted mortgage fraud allegations against the lawmaker and questioned her about any communications she may have had with Justice Department official Ed Martin and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Bolt. The interview came after the woman received a subpoena seeking information about communications she may have had with people claiming to be working at the direction of Bolte and Martin.

Read more: In letter to Bondi, Fed’s Lisa Cook says mortgage fraud allegations against her are ‘baseless’

Kristin Piesh, a real estate agent running for a congressional seat in California, told the AP she was willing to talk to investigators about her years-long effort to draw attention to mortgages held by Schiff, who has homes in California and Maryland. Authorities instead focused on possible interactions she had with Bolte and Martin, Bish said.

“I was expecting to be asked questions, a lot of questions, about, ‘How did you come to investigate Adam Schiff and what were your findings?’” Bish said. “What they wanted to know was whether I was in contact with Ed Martin or Director Bolte — and I wasn’t.”

Bish said she has been trying to get back to Schiff’s allegations, but officials are “trying, in my opinion, to cross-examine investigators.”

The revelation that authorities are turning their attention to handling Schiff’s investigation is likely to bring new scrutiny to the campaign that Bolt and Martin have criticized for investigating Trump’s political rivals for mortgage fraud.

Their efforts have been plagued by errors, including exaggerated claims that were easily debunked, as well as revelations that ethics officials at the agency led by Bolte were investigating whether he and his allies improperly accessed the mortgage data of those he accused of fraud.

In recent months, Besh has been contacted several times by Robert Bowes, who worked in the first Trump administration and claimed to be working for Bolte, according to a person familiar with the conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of concern about retaliation.

Bowes, who is listed in the subpoena, asked Bish to investigate mortgages for several people, the person said. On one occasion, Bowes asked Bish to be a source for a national media outlet that he claimed was working on a negative story about mortgages held by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, the person said.

Bowes did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Bolte did not respond to a message seeking comment. A message seeking comment was also left with Martin’s spokesperson. The Ministry of Justice declined to comment.

In August, the department appointed Martin as a special prosecutor to assist in investigations into Schiff and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Prosecutors separately issued subpoenas as part of a mortgage fraud investigation against Lisa Cook, the Federal Reserve governor whom Trump sought to fire. Last week, Bolte also referred Rep. Eric. Swalwell, a Democrat from California, was sent to the Justice Department to investigate.

The four deny these accusations.

Schiff is being investigated by Maryland prosecutors, although the status of the investigation is unclear. The investigation into James resulted in criminal charges being filed last month in Virginia. She has pleaded not guilty, and in a filing this week, her lawyers decried what they said was “outrageous” government conduct that led to her indictment.

Bish told the AP that she had previously presented her work on Schiff to congressional ethics officials, but nothing came of it. After Bolt put out a plea for tips on mortgage fraud, she resubmitted her research to the agency he leads as well as the FBI. She said Bolte called her and left a voicemail asking for more information, but Bish said she never had a conversation with him.

The subpoena received by Bish seeks any communications she may have had with Bolte or any people claiming to be acting “at his recommendation,” including anyone claiming to be Bolte’s chief of staff. It also seeks information about communications with anyone “claiming to act for or at the direction of” the Department of Justice or “any person claiming to be acting at the direction or request” of Martin.

Martin, who also serves as director of the Justice Department’s “Weaponization Task Force,” was appointed to assist in mortgage fraud investigations after his nomination to become the top federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C., was withdrawn over bipartisan concerns about his modest legal experience, divisive politics and support for the Jan. 6 rioters.

Since arriving in Washington under Trump, Bolte has put the spotlight on the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which he oversees. The 37-year-old, a scion of a homebuilding fortune, has sought to ingratiate himself with Trump by publicly attacking some of the president’s longtime political rivals.

But in recent weeks, he has made a series of blunders.

Earlier this month, he sold Trump on the appeal of a 50-year mortgage as a way to increase home buying and construction – a proposal that has been widely criticized because it would dramatically increase the overall price of the loan.

Bolte, the self-appointed head of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has also shaken up the housing industry by purging ethics officers and senior leaders at the two giant government-sponsored lending companies, which have trillions of dollars in assets.

Some of those fired were investigating whether Bolte and his allies used non-public mortgage data as the basis for his criminal referrals against Cook and others. Other top Fannie Mae executives were forced to resign last month after they expressed concern that a Bolte confidant, acting on its behalf, had shared confidential pricing data with Freddie Mac, a major competitor.

In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi this week, James & Cook’s attorney, Abe Lowell, suggested that Bolte may have been the person who should be investigated.

“These violations committed by Director Bolte may be grounds for your agency or others in government to review his conduct,” Lowell wrote. “I point them out because they undermine his criminal referrals.”