The nomination of Bill Pulte as the acting Director of National Intelligence by President Trump has stirred up a storm of debate on Capitol Hill. This was evident on Wednesday when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged a previous altercation with Pulte, although he contested some details of the incident.
Pulte, whose background is devoid of any national security experience and is known for initiating mortgage fraud probes against Trump’s critics during his tenure at the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has not been warmly received by many Republican lawmakers. During a Senate Finance Committee hearing focused on budgetary issues, Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina took the opportunity to address a rumored confrontation between Bessent and Pulte. Citing a report from Politico, Tillis inquired about the nature of their altercation at an event attended by numerous administration officials and Trump advisers.
“I have a rather awkward question to pose before we dive into the trends and your approach to them,” Tillis stated. “Did you really tell Pulte you were going to punch him in the face?”
With a hint of humor, Bessent replied, “No, sir. I actually said I was going to kick his a**.”
Tillis seemed to empathize, responding, “Good. Okay. Good. I share the emotion.”
Bessent further explained, “That was last summer, the summer of ’25. It’s not uncommon for team members to have disputes in the locker room before coming together to succeed on the field.”
Tillis said he was “just curious” because he expects that story to resurface as Pulte steps into the nation’s top intelligence role.
Politico reported in September that Bessent heard Pulte was badmouthing him to the president, and the treasury secretary told Pulte, “I’m going to f***ing beat your a**.” Bessent also reportedly said to Pulte: “I’m gonna punch you in your f***ing face,” according to the Politico story.
As FHFA director, Pulte sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department alleging mortgage fraud by a number of Mr. Trump’s political foes, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook and former Rep. Eric Swalwell. Mr. Trump cited the fraud allegations against Cook to justify her attempted firing, which is currently before the Supreme Court.
All four have denied wrongdoing, and only the investigation into James has resulted in criminal charges to date. That case was eventually dismissed after a judge found the prosecutor was appointed invalidly.
Pulte can remain acting director of national intelligence for up to 210 days from when he begins the post, which he will be doing on top of running the FHFA, which oversees mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Tillis isn’t the only Republican senator who doesn’t support Pulte taking the role. Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has also expressed doubts about Pulte’s experience.
