Overview

• Politico reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted FHFA Director Bill Pulte on Sept. 3 at the Executive Branch club’s inaugural dinner in Georgetown during a birthday event for podcaster Chamath Palihapitiya.
• Witnesses said Bessent used profanity and threatened to punch Pulte, prompting club co-owner Omeed Malik to intervene before the men were seated at opposite ends of the table with no blows exchanged.
• Multiple attendees and an eyewitness described the exchange to Politico, though accounts differed on who initiated the conversation.
• The White House, Bessent, Pulte and the club declined to comment on the episode.
• The clash follows months of reported friction over control of housing-finance policy, including plans for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and echoes an earlier Bessent blowup with Elon Musk over IRS leadership.