Sen. Adam Schiff has established the “Senator Schiff Legal Defense Fund,” according to paperwork filed with the Internal Revenue Service on Aug. 14–15. The California Democrat opened the account as he braces for mounting legal costs tied to a federal criminal inquiry. The Justice Department, acting on a referral from the Federal Housing Finance Agency in May, is examining claims that Schiff falsely declared a Maryland property his primary residence to secure below-market mortgage rates between 2003 and 2019. Attorney General Pam Bondi has tapped Special Counsel Ed Martin to oversee the probe, and grand juries in Virginia and Maryland are weighing potential indictments. Schiff has denied any wrongdoing. A spokeswoman said the legal fund is necessary because former President Donald Trump and his allies are 'weaponizing the justice process' against one of the administration’s most vocal critics. Trump has publicly urged prosecutors to press charges, accusing the senator of a 'sustained pattern of mortgage fraud.' The investigation targets a lawmaker who gained national prominence leading Trump’s first impeachment in 2020 and serving on the House panel that examined the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Schiff, now in his first Senate term, declined a pre-emptive pardon offered by President Joe Biden earlier this year, saying it would set a poor precedent. The new fund positions him for what could become a protracted—and politically charged—legal battle.