Bessent testifies he told Pulte he was "going to kick his a**," not punch him

Politics Scott Bessent testifies he told Bill Pulte he was "going to kick his a**," not punch him in the face By Kathryn Watson Kathryn Watson Politics Reporter Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Kathryn Watson Updated on: June 3, 2026 / 4:12 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google President Trump's pick for acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte has become a point of contention on Capitol Hill, including on Wednesday, when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed to senators that he had a heated argument with the Trump loyalist last year — but disputed some of the details.The president's decision to tap Pulte, who lacks a résumé in the national security field and oversaw the launch of mortgage fraud investigations into Trump critics as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has been met with little joy from Republicans on Capitol Hill. On Wednesday, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina asked Bessent if he really threatened to punch Pulte in the face last year. Tillis was referencing a September Politico report of a heated argument between Bessent and Pulte during an event with dozens of administration officials and Trump advisers. "I do have one awkward question to ask you real quick and then I want to get to some of the trends and how you're going to work on them," Tillis said during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on budget matters. "Did you actually tell Pulte you were going to punch him in the face?" "No, sir. I actually said I was going to kick his a**," Bessent responded with a slight smile. "Good. Okay. Good. I share the emotion," responded Tillis. Bessent added, "And as I said, that was last summer, summer of '25, and many teams have fights in the locker room and then go out and win for the team on the field."Tillis said he was "just curious" because he expects that story to resurface as Pulte steps into the nat...