Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent denied threatening to punch now-acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte “in the fucking face” during a summer 2025 spat.
At a Wednesday Senate Finance Committee hearing, Bessent denied threatened to punch Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, but confirmed that he threatened to “kick his ass.”
Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis asked Bessent to confirm what he said on Wednesday, to which Tillis responded with “Good. I share the emotion.” Tillis has expressed that he does not support Pulte’s confirmation to be DNI on a permanent basis.
“Whoever told the President to go ahead and commit to this publicly before vetting it should lose their jobs, because they should know that the math just works against Pulte being confirmed,” Tillis said, according to CNBC.
The confrontation last summer occurred at an inaugural dinner at the executive branch after people told Bessent that Pulte had been criticizing him to President Donald Trump.
Trump nominated Pulte to serve as acting director for the Director of National Intelligence on June 2. Current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard will be stepping down on June 30 to support her husband as he undergoes treatment for a rare form of bone cancer.
Pulte will remain Federal Housing Finance Agency Director and chairman of Frannie Mae/Freddie Mac as he steps into his new role.
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