Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stunned lawmakers Wednesday when he casually admitted that he threatened to physically assault Bill Pulte — President Donald Trump’s embattled choice to serve as Acting Director of National Intelligence.
The jaw-dropping admission came during a Senate Finance Committee hearing after Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) referenced reports of a heated clash between the two Trump administration officials.
“Did you actually tell Pulte you were going to punch him in the face?” Tillis asked.
“No, sir. I actually said I was going to kick his a**,” Bessent replied.
Tillis appeared amused by the correction.
“Good. OK, good. I share the emotion — thank you,” the North Carolina Republican responded.
Bessent brushed off the confrontation as old news.
“And, as I said, that was last summer, summer ’25,” he said. “And many teams have fights in the locker room, and then go out and win for the team on the field.”
But Tillis suggested the incident could become a major issue now that Trump has tapped Pulte to oversee America’s intelligence agencies following Tulsi Gabbard’s planned departure later this month.
“Everybody’s gonna be showing that,” Tillis said. “I made it clear I’m not gonna support Pulte for DNI, but I’m sure they’re gonna dredge that up.”
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The exchange revived scrutiny of an explosive confrontation first reported by Politico, which described a profanity-laced showdown between Bessent and Pulte at a private gathering of Trump officials and allies last year.
According to Politico, Bessent confronted Pulte after hearing that the Federal Housing Finance Agency chief had been speaking negatively about him to President Trump
Read an excerpt from Politico’s reporting:
A private dinner attended by dozens of administration officials and close advisers to President Donald Trump was temporarily marred by a dramatic clash between two of Trump’s top economic officials, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at one point threatening to punch top housing finance official Bill Pulte “in the fucking face.”
…
But amid the cocktail-hour din, Bessent lashed out at Pulte in an expletive-laden diatribe. The Treasury secretary had heard from several people that the Federal Housing Finance Agency director had been badmouthing him to Trump, a person close to him said. He wasn’t about to engage in chit-chat as if nothing was amiss.
“Why the fuck are you talking to the president about me? Fuck you,” Bessent told Pulte. “I’m gonna punch you in your fucking face.”
The scene was described to me by one eyewitness and four other people familiar with what happened. The only fact they disagreed on was whether it was Bessent or Pulte who initiated the conversation. They and others who described the conflict were granted anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
Pulte appeared stunned, and the tense encounter prompted club co-owner and financier Omeed Malik to intervene, according to the three people. But Bessent wasn’t having it — he sought to get him kicked out, the eyewitness said.
“It’s either me or him,” Bessent said to Malik. “You tell me who’s getting the fuck out of here.”
“Or,” he added, “we could go outside.”
“To do what?” asked Pulte. “To talk?”
“No,” Bessent replied. “I’m going to fucking beat your ass.”
The bizarre feud is drawing fresh attention as Pulte faces mounting criticism over his nomination.
