'I was going to kick his a**': Bessent sets the record straight on Bill Pulte on Senate floor
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent did not hold back when Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) asked whether he had threatened to punch Bill Pulte, Trump's pick for Director of National Intelligence, in the face. Bessent's response was succinct: "I actually said I was going to kick his a**." The 63-year-old appeared before the Senate Finance Committee for a hearing to examine the 2027 budget on Wednesday.
Tillis quipped that he shared the emotion, but Bessent was quick to put the spat behind them. "Many teams have fights in the locker room and then go out and win for the team on the field," he said, adding that he had a very good meeting with Pulte on Tuesday. Trump tapped Pulte, who is also the Federal Housing Finance Agency's director, to fill in for Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down to care for her husband following his cancer diagnosis.
The wall of Democratic opposition to Bill Pulte was expected, but when the Treasury Secretary openly admitted he threatened to assault the man, and a Republican senator is declaring he won't support him either, it suggests that Pulte's problems run deeper than partisan politics. Trump is installing someone as the nation's top intelligence chief who appears to have alienated allies and opponents alike, raising serious questions about whether Pulte can command credibility in the role.
As someone who helped set up the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, I oppose elevating Bill Pulte to Acting Director. He has no experience. Zero. And he is the wrong choice to help keep us safe.
— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (@SenatorSlotkin) June 2, 2026
Mr. Pulte has weaponized his current agency against the President's… https://t.co/MPOxQZTfU4
The flare-up took place in the summer of 2025 at a private dinner attended by multiple administration officials and close Trump advisers, Politico reported. Bessent reportedly confronted Pulte after learning he had been speaking ill of him to Trump. He screamed: "Why the f**k are you talking to the president about me? F**k you. I'm gonna punch you in your f**king face." The confrontation was ultimately defused by financier and club co-owner Omeed Malik, who stepped in to separate the two.
Bill Pulte abused his power at the Federal Housing Finance Agency by teaming up with Palantir to trawl through mortgage records and force the Justice Department to file bogus criminal charges against the President's perceived political enemies. Now Trump is tapping him to serve…
— House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudiciary) June 2, 2026
Tillis and Bessent are not the only Republicans uneasy about the pick. Senate Majority Leader John Thune was blunt: "We don't need a weaponized DNI. We need professionals there." Sen. Susan Collins, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said she did not even know whether Pulte holds a security clearance. "I do not know Mr. Pulte at all. I don't know whether he has any intelligence or military background," she said.
While Democrats play politics with our national security, @pulte will put the American people first.
— Senator Jim Banks (@SenatorBanks) June 3, 2026
He is a friend, ally, and patriot who will fight to drain the Swamp of our intel community, and keep America safe.
I look forward to working with him as Acting Director of… https://t.co/aiZl5oVAvL
Pulte, however, is not without supporters. Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) posted that Pulte "will lead the DNI with integrity, cripple the deep state, and always prioritize America's national security." Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, credited Pulte with managing "some of the most sensitive issues in the economy" and cited his "proven record of leadership."
