Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte engaged in a heated confrontation last week that included an alleged threat of physical violence, according to reporting by Politico and the New York Post.
Two people told the New York Post that Bessent, 63, confronted Pulte, 37, at a social gathering and accused him of speaking to President Donald Trump about him. The people said Bessent shouted, “Why the f— are you talking to the president about me? F— you,” and added, “I’m gonna punch you in your f—ing face.” The Post reported that Pulte’s response was not immediately clear.
Politico first reported the confrontation, saying it broke out at the Executive Branch social club in Georgetown. The club, which bills itself as a venue for executive-branch staff and allies, was co-founded by banker Omeed Malik and Donald Trump Jr., according to previous reporting.
The New York Post, citing two people with knowledge of the exchange, described the argument as escalating to the point that threats of physical violence were made. Bessent serves as Treasury secretary in the Trump administration; Pulte is the director of the FHFA, the agency that oversees mortgage finance companies including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The accounts published by the two outlets do not include an on-the-record statement from either Bessent or Pulte. The details reported by both outlets are based on people who said they were familiar with the incident.
The FHFA director role gives Pulte oversight of housing finance regulation and policy affecting government-sponsored enterprises. Relations between Treasury and the FHFA can factor into broader housing finance discussions, but reports of the specific cause of the argument stop short of official confirmation beyond the sources cited.
The reported exchange follows a series of high-profile tensions among administration officials in recent months, but the published accounts focus narrowly on the incident at the Georgetown club and the quotes allegedly exchanged there.
Politico was the first to report the confrontation; the New York Post later published its own account, quoting two people who described the alleged threats. Neither outlet attributed the remarks to an official transcript or release. The claims have not been independently corroborated by a government document or an on-the-record statement.