Bessent clarifies threat against Bill Pulte: He said he was going to ‘kick his a**’
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addressed a confrontation with Bill Pulte during a Senate Finance Committee hearing. He confirmed that he had expressed a desire to 'kick his a**' after Pulte allegedly spoke negatively about him to President Trump. Bessent emphasized that such conflicts are common in team environments and noted Pulte's recent appointment as acting director of national intelligence.
- ▪Scott Bessent confirmed a past confrontation with Bill Pulte during a Senate hearing.
- ▪Bessent stated he intended to 'kick his a**' after Pulte's comments to Trump.
- ▪Pulte has faced criticism for his lack of intelligence experience after being appointed acting director of national intelligence.
3 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 3 hours. Coverage spans 2 points on the political spectrum — 1 lean left, 1 centre.
- ▪ Bessent testifies he told Pulte he was "going to kick his a**," not punch him — CBS News — Top
- ▪ Bessent says he told Pulte ‘I was going to kick his a–‘ — The Hill
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| Original publisher | Washington Examiner |
| Canonical URL | https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/white-house/4593320/bessent-bill-pulte-going-kick-his-ass/ |
| Publication time | Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:23:26 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-06-03T17:27:51.140Z |
| Last seen | 2026-06-03T17:38:10.776Z |
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| Summary source text | contentText |
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| Cluster | yT-t0_1Aql0l · 3 stories |
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| Retrieval / RAG | May the content be exposed for third-party retrieval-augmented generation? | Not asserted |
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| Commercial reuse | May the content be reused commercially? | Not permitted |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
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. During a Wednesday hearing before the Senate Finance Committee to testify on President Donald Trump’s proposed budget, Bessent faced questions about Pulte, who was recently named acting director of national intelligence. Recommended Stories Treasury sanctions major Iranian cryptocurrency exchange What to know about Bill Pulte, Trump’s pick to be acting ODNI chief Job openings rise to highest level in nearly two years WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BILL PULTE, TRUMP’S PICK TO BE ACTING ODNI CHIEF Sen.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Washington Examiner.
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