Bessent rips Wall Street Journal after report on ‘tension, turnover’

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday went after The Wall Street Journal for a report about strife within his department.

“Look, The Wall Street Journal is a shadow of its former self, and I think it’s a disgrace for you to say that they’re like TMZ. TMZ does a good job of what they do,” Bessent told Fox News’s Laura Ingraham on her show “The Ingraham Angle.”

The Treasury secretary added later that in the report, “there were two — the disgruntled employees … versus, like, the 28 who told them that I’m a great employer, and we have some great employees that come to work every day, just like the American people, and they want to work hard.”

The Journal published a report Tuesday describing Bessent’s intensity toward his staff. According to the report, the Treasury secretary’s conduct led to several key officials leaving the department, per sources close to the matter. During his Treasury tenure, Bessent has intensely reprimanded high- and low-ranking employees due to issues of varying size, former and current department staff told the Journal.

The Journal also reported about an incident from 2025 in which the organization of Bessent’s daily briefing book angered him to the point of throwing it at a wall, according to those close to the matter.

When reached for comment, a Journal spokesperson told The Hill in a statement that “we stand by our reporting, which was based on extensive interviews with dozens of individuals.”

“Any assertion that this story relies on the accounts of only two isolated sources is false. Our coverage reflects a rigorous, balanced and accurate account of the facts and numerous engagements with the Treasury Department.”

Bessent has a history of tension with his coworkers . In June, Bessent described a clash he had with Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), when Bessent was testifying before Congress at the time, asked him if previous reporting that he said he would punch the FHFA director in his face was correct.

“No sir, I actually said I was going to kick his a‑‑‑,” the Treasury chief replied with a smile.

The Hill has reached out to the Journal for comment.