Ethics and internal investigation officials at Fannie Mae, the mortgage financing provider, had received internal complaints that senior officials at FHFA had ordered employees to access the mortgage documents of James and others, the Journal reported on Tuesday. They passed on their investigation to the inspector general's office, who subsequently forwarded it to the US attorney for the eastern district of Virginia. Trump installed an ally, Lindsey Halligan, in that job last month.

Halligan was unhappy to have been sent the information, which could become part of discovery she would be required to hand over to James's lawyers, and forwarded the communication to the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter. Halligan told the Guardian on Tuesday evening this characterization was untrue and denied forwarding information to the White House.