Scott Bessent Criticizes Wall Street Journal Over Report on Workplace Issues

In an interview on Fox News’s "The Ingraham Angle," Bessent described the Journal as a "shadow of its former self" and compared its reporting unfavorably to that of TMZ, which he claimed performs its role well.

Bessent defended his leadership, stating that while some employees may be disgruntled, a majority of his staff view him positively. He remarked, '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.'

The Journal's Monday report indicated that Bessent's intense management style has contributed to the departure of several key officials from the Treasury Department. Former and current staff members recounted instances of Bessent reprimanding employees over both minor and significant issues.

The report also detailed an incident from 2025 where Bessent became so frustrated with the organization of his daily briefing book that he threw it against a wall.

In addition to this, Bessent has faced scrutiny for his past conflicts with colleagues. In a June incident, he recounted a confrontation with Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte during a Congressional testimony, where he humorously clarified that he did not intend to punch Pulte but instead said, "I was going to kick his a–."

The Hill has reached out to The Wall Street Journal for further comment.