Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed reporting of a highly publicized clash between himself and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte last year, although he said that such confrontations happen when working on a team.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said he had an “awkward” question for the treasury secretary and asked whether reporting was true that Bessent told Pulte he was going to punch him in the face last year during an event after hearing that Pulte had been badmouthing him to Trump.
“No, sir, I actually said I was going to kick his a**,” Bessent said.
“Good, OK, good — I share the emotion,” Tillis responded.
Bessent then clarified that the dustup happened last summer and that “many teams have fights in the locker room and then go out and win for the team.”
“I had a very good exchange with the director yesterday,” Bessent added.
Pulte has generated headlines during his time at the FHFA for his willingness to act as Trump’s attack dog and for recommending mortgage fraud investigations into several of Trump’s political opponents.
In one such case, Pulte accused Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook of mortgage fraud, prompting Trump to fire her and the Justice Department to open an investigation into the allegations. The Supreme Court is weighing the legality of her firing.
Trump tapped Pulte to be acting director of national intelligence on Tuesday, replacing Tulsi Gabbard, who will resign from the role at the end of this month. Pulte will remain on concurrently as head of the FHFA.
His appointment has faced some blowback for Pulte’s lack of intelligence experience.
During the Wednesday hearing, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), who is also the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, asked Bessent if he knew whether Pulte even has a security clearance, to which Bessent replied he did not.
BILL PULTE TAKES THE HELM OF AN INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY MARRED BY INFIGHTING
“In being head of the FHFA, isn’t that a full-time job?” Warner asked.
“It’s a very important position,” Bessent responded.
