'Congresswoman is slanderous': Bessent clashes with Democrat over Trump's Treasury Department

WASHINGTON, DC: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent appeared before the Senate Finance Committee to testify on the administration's proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget, where a tense exchange led him to label Rep Linda Sanchez “slanderous.”

The event occurred as the exchange between the two turned heated during the House hearing on Thursday, June 4.

Bessent appeared before the House to explain the priority of his department days after President Donald Trump’s controversial settlement with the IRS in exchange for a controversial $1.8 billion fund to compensate those wrongly targeted by the Biden administration.

Linda Sanchez labels Treasury Department historically corrupt

The hearing took a heated turn after Sanchez accused Bessent's Treasury Department of giving “immunity” from tax audits.

Bessent repeatedly deferred to the Justice Department and claimed he could not comment on ongoing litigation in response to the question asked by Sanchez.

The exchange grew more heated when Sanchez said it was “probably the most corrupt Treasury Department in our nation’s history.”

Reacting to the accusation of corruption, Bessent said that Sanchez was “slanderous” and that “there is nothing corrupt.”

“The congresswoman is slanderous!” he said. “She has nothing but unsubstantiated opinions, and I will not stand for that. There is nothing corrupt.”

Bessent further said that the congresswoman had no facts, and he would not stand for baseless accusations.

“We move at the highest levels, and just because she cannot get the answer she wants, if she would like to give me facts, she seems short on facts, long on hot air, and I will not stand for that,” he added.

Linda Sanchez blames Trump policies for rising costs

The further exchange between them over the corruption accusation was even more contentious, prompting an immediate response from Bessent.

“I am going to have to take exception with that! That is a slanderous statement!” Bessent shot back.

Sanchez did not back down, instead accusing the Treasury secretary of shielding Trump while Americans struggled with rising costs.

“And while you dance around questions to protect Trump, Americans are suffering in Trump’s spiraling economy. Inflation is now rising faster than hourly wages–” Sanchez said. 

“Nah,” Bessent interjected.

Sanchez continued by pointing to inflation, grocery prices, gas costs, and tariffs as evidence of what she described as a failed economic agenda.

“Gas prices are at an all-time high with the war in Iran, the cost of groceries has risen 3.2% in the past year, and prices on most goods have gone up because of Trump’s tariffs. So I don’t see how you could call that anything other than a failure of the most corrupt Treasury Department in history,” she said.