As we reported on Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was on Capitol Hill to appear before the House Financial Services Committee and answer questions about the economy. Bessent was met with hostility from representatives, and he gave it right back. Mad Maxine Waters asked the chairman, "Can you shut him up?" to which Bessent replied, "Can you maintain some level of dignity?"
On Thursday, Bessent appeared before the Senate Banking Committee, where Sen. Chris Van Hollen thought it was appropriate to question Bessent about his remarks about the fatal shooting of ICE agitator Alex Pretti. Van Hollen managed to work it into the testimony by saying the credibility of the secretary was important. That said, Van Hollen graciously gave Bessent the opportunity to retract his remarks about Pretti. Bessent did not. This administration has some of the best when it comes to handling dumb questions: Bessent, JD Vance, Marco Rubio, and Stephen Miller, to name four.
VAN HOLLEN: "You said, ‘I'm sorry [Alex Pretti] is dead,' but, you went on to say 'he had a weapon’ .... Would you like to retract that statement?"
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 5, 2026
BESSENT: 'I would not. Would you like to express remorse over the death of Ashli Babbitt?' pic.twitter.com/zJ70PRhdJ8
What does this have to do with the Secretary of the Treasury?
— Chrissy’s Pop Culture Corner™️ (@realpopchrissy) February 5, 2026
Margarita Van Hollen would rather help illegals instead of his real constituents. Shameful that he pulled this stunt .
— Tama Maltsberger Scott (@ScottTama4061) February 5, 2026
Scott Bessent is a rock star. He doesn't bend.
— Golf Fren (@GolfFren) February 5, 2026
— Amy Sue Peterson 🇱🇷🇳🇴🇨🇿🇬🇧 (@OxlajujAhpu) February 5, 2026
— Red McNeckerson (@auburntiger78) February 5, 2026
Not sure who my favorite cabinet member is. Scott, or Marco.
— RetiredTroutBum (@DennisKen87968) February 5, 2026
Bessent is a killer. They weren't expecting this guy to napalm them so often.
— Airborne (@abnheel) February 5, 2026
— Amy Sue Peterson 🇱🇷🇳🇴🇨🇿🇬🇧 (@OxlajujAhpu) February 5, 2026
He's the Treasury Secretary. This is irrelevant. However, Carrying a gun is fine. Carrying a gun while obstructing law enforcement is a felony
— Sandra (@SandraKM123) February 5, 2026
It’s all about achieving the “gotcha.” What a fucking waste of time.
— The Real Otis (@TrumpIsSavage) February 5, 2026
Van Hollen had that "gotcha" teed up for days, probably, and it failed miserably.
Never apologize to a Democrat.
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