Social media platform X has declined Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) request to retrieve and provide her office with more than 24,000 deleted social media posts from William Pulte, President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).
In a March 3 statement, X’s Global Government Affairs team reaffirmed the platform’s commitment to user privacy in rejecting Warren’s demand.
“Last week, we received a letter from Senator Elizabeth Warren, Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, requesting all the activity from a nominee’s account since its inception,” the company stated.
“X is committed to protecting the privacy of its users and does not release user data absent a valid and compelling legal basis. Senator Warren’s letter provides no legal basis that would permit or compel X to deviate from this obligation.”
The statement follows a Feb. 26 letter Warren sent to X CEO Linda Yaccarino in which she expressed concern over the mass deletion of Pulte’s posts.
She argued that his social media history could provide insight into his policy views and suitability to oversee entities managing $8.1 trillion in mortgage financing.
“Given the importance of the position, the Committee has begun reviewing Mr. Pulte’s tweets to evaluate his policy positions, temperament, and fitness to serve,” Warren said in a statement, calling the widespread deletions a “startling discovery.”
Pulte, known for his philanthropic social media presence, has amassed over 3 million followers on X, where he has frequently given away money to Trump supporters or in response to the former president’s reposts.
In her letter to Yaccarino, Warren also pointed to bipartisan precedent for such requests, citing a 2021 instance where then-Ranking Member Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), sought deleted tweets from two of President Joe Biden’s nominees.
Warren urged X to provide all of Pulte’s posts since the creation of his account in 2009 and requested a response by March 3.
Pulte, CEO of Pulte Capital Partners and grandson of homebuilding magnate William Pulte, was nominated by Trump to lead the FHFA, which regulates Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Loan Banks.
The president has praised Pulte, writing on Truth Social that he expects him to help “restore the American Dream FOR ALL.”
Pulte faced a Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing on Feb. 27, though the full Senate has yet to vote on his nomination.
Warren’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding X’s refusal to comply with her request.
