Bessent says he told Pulte ‘I was going to kick his a–‘

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday said he once told Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte, who President Trump recently tapped to serve as acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), that he “was going to kick his a–.”

Bessent made the remark while testifying before the Senate Finance Committee on the president’s fiscal 2027 budget request for the department. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) asked him if past reporting that he said he would punch Pulte in the face was correct.

“No sir, I actually said I was going to kick his a–,” the Treasury chief replied with a smile.

“Good, OK,” Tillis said. “Good, I share the emotion. Thank you.”

Bessent added that “many teams have fights in the locker room and then go out and win for the team on the table.”

The North Carolina Republican said he was “curious” about the incident before noting that he will not support Pulte to replace Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down from the role last month.

“I had a very good exchange with the director yesterday, want to keep the momentum going on........

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