Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hit back against Democratic Rep. Linda Sanchez of California during a congressional hearing on Thursday, after she accused him of unprecedented levels of corruption.
The House Ways and Means Committee was questioning Bessent on a variety of financial topics when Sanchez decided to get personal.
“I hope that you’re proud of your performance today, Mr. Secretary, because I think it’s pretty safe to say that this is probably the most corrupt Treasury Department in our nation’s history,” she claimed.
Bessent and Sanchez began talking over one another, with the secretary slamming her for trying to “get some social media clips.”
“I am going to have to take exception with that!” he yelled back. “That is a slanderous statement.”
Sanchez continued talking over Bessent, who smiled and dismissively waved his hand at her as she continued listing grievances against the Trump administration, including inflation.
When her time finally expired, Bessent was given a chance to reply and said: “The congresswoman is slanderous. She has nothing but unsubstantiated opinions and I will not stand for that. There is nothing corrupt.”
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“She seems short on facts, long on hot air,” he added. “And I will not stand for that.”
Secretary Bessent is not giving a single inch hyperventilating Democrats who are using their “oversight” role to totally embarrass themselves:
“I hope you get some social media clips…”
“The congresswoman is slanderous. She has nothing but unsubstantiated opinions, and I will… pic.twitter.com/3mP8pnubjs
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) June 4, 2026
When Rep. Jodey Arrington, a Republican from Texas, was given the floor, he criticized Sanchez for having a “sudden interest in the rule of law” despite her past positions on illegal immigration.
“Apparently, my colleague’s had a sudden interest in the rule of law. I wonder if you asked her if she thought illegal immigrants should be detained and deported, or caught and released, what the answer would be,” he said.
“And Congressman, too, on inflation, I am not going to take firefighting advice from an arsonist,” Bessent shot back. “They torched the American people, 21.5 percent inflation.”
Bessent also made headlines on Friday when it was announced that the Treasury Department’s financial crimes unit would be cracking down on banks that service illegal aliens, according to the Associated Press.
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued an advisory to banks, warning them about certain “red flags” that could indicate unlawful presence in the United States.
It also warned about identity theft, payroll tax fraud, and money laundering schemes related to illegal aliens.
Bessent said in a statement that the Trump administration “will not allow illegal aliens to abuse financial institutions to steal billions of dollars from hardworking American taxpayers.”
“Schemes to pay unlawful workers often rely upon access to the U.S. financial system, including U.S. banks,” he concluded.
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