Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged Wednesday that he threatened to “kick ass” during a heated confrontation last year, while firmly denying reports that he threatened to punch the now-acting Director of National Intelligence “in the face.”
The unusual exchange emerged during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, where Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) pressed Bessent about reports surrounding a confrontation between the two Trump administration officials during the summer of 2025.
According to Bessent, one key detail in the widely circulated account was inaccurate.
Seijah Drake was born in Boston, MA, where she developed a penchant for writing early on and a passion for politics in college. After college she worked briefly for a conservative media in New York before relocating to the Greater D.C. Area to pursue a career in political marketing. She now resides in the free state of Florida.
Get Your Best Daily Defense and Foreign Affairs Intelligence Here in One Brief.
Read the summaries or dive deeper via the linked articles.
Today’sPDB includes a variety of critical, global national security issues.
** For additional intel on the Russia-Ukraine war and other hot topics we can’t fit here, please also subscribe to ‘Paul’s Defense Brief’ atpaulcrespo.substack.com.
READ TODAY’S PDB BELOW:
HOMELAND SECURITY
WITCH HUNT OR REAL THREAT? – Proud Boys leader, four lieutenants charged with seditious conspiracy. The new charges suggest investigators are stitching together a wider picture of organization within extremist groups that shared common if not overlapping goals in the January 2021 Capitol attack.
MIGRANT SURGE – MORE OF BIDEN’S BORDER CRISIS – US-bound migrant caravan leaves southern Mexico. Several thousand migrants have set out from southern Mexico in a caravan bound for the United States, which is hoping to address regional migration during talks at the Summit of the Americas this week in Los Angeles.
CHINA THREAT
GROWING NETWORK OF BASES – China secretly building PLA naval facility in Cambodia, Western officials say. The establishment of a Chinese naval base in Cambodia — only its second such overseas outpost and its first in the strategically significant Indo-Pacific region — is part of Beijing’s strategy to build a network of military facilities around the world in support of its aspirations to become a true global power, the officials said.
YES PLEASE – Japan calls for defense spending hike in policy paper, notes threats to Taiwan. Japan wants to drastically increase defense spending “within the next five years” it said on Tuesday in an annual economic policy document that for the first time mentioned both a time frame for the expenditure and concern about threats faced by Taiwan.
ISLAND HOPPERS – New Marine littoral regiment will make debut in this year’s RIMPAC drills. Marines with 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment will join ground forces along with a fleet of ships, submarines, and aircraft from 26 countries for this year’s multinational Rim of the Pacific maritime exercise off Hawaii, officials told USNI News.
RUSSIA THREAT
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 104. Zelenskyy says his country’s forces are not giving up positions in Severodonetsk, the main Donbas city not in Russian hands, where street fighting is raging. He did, however, admit that Russian forces had a numerical advantage in the battle. On Monday morning, Russian forces shelled the town of Zolote, destroying 13 houses, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said.
Fighting rages in fierce battle for Ukraine’s east. Street fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops raged in the battle for the industrial city of Sievierodonetsk as Moscow’s forces pushed to conquer Ukraine’s eastern Donbas, seeking a decisive win more than 100 days into the invasion.
WOLVERINES! – Guerrilla attacks signal rising resistance to Russian occupation. The Kremlin-backed mayor of the Ukrainian town of Enerhodar was standing on his mother’s porch when a powerful blast struck, leaving him critically wounded. A week later, about 75 miles away, a car packed with explosives rocked the office of another Russian-appointed official in the occupied southern city of Melitopol.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
South Korea, US showcase air power during US official’s Seoul visit. South Korea and the United States staged a joint air power demonstration on Tuesday during a visit by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who said there would be a strong and clear response if North Korea were to conduct a nuclear test.
WHERE’D IT GO, JOE? Millions looted from Afghan government during Taliban takeover. Tens of millions of dollars disappeared from Afghan government bank accounts during the Taliban takeover in August, according to a U.S. government watchdog report released Monday, the latest in a series detailing the collapse of the Afghan government and its military.
Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Liberty Defense News. As a Marine Corps officer, he led Marines, served aboard ships in the Pacific and jumped from helicopters and airplanes. He was also a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at U.S. embassies worldwide. He later ran for state and federal office, taught political science, wrote for the editorial board of a major newspaper and had his own radio show. A graduate of Georgetown, London and Cambridge universities, he brings decades of experience and insight to the issues that most threaten our American liberty – at home and from abroad. To read more go to: paulcrespo.com.
Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Liberty Defense News. As a Marine Corps officer, he led Marines, served aboard ships in the Pacific and jumped from helicopters and airplanes. He was also a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at U.S. embassies worldwide. He later ran for state and federal office, taught political science, wrote for the editorial board of a major newspaper and had his own radio show. A graduate of Georgetown, London and Cambridge universities, he brings decades of experience and insight to the issues that most threaten our American liberty – at home and from abroad. To read more go to: paulcrespo.com.
Pakistan has deployed 8,000 troops, a squadron of fighter jets, and an air defense system to
At American Liberty News, we eschew the mainstream media’s tightly controlled narrative to provide our readers with real news, real insights, and the means to take action. We seek out insightful coverage – and partner with knowledgeable and experienced people and organizations to bring you the information and insight our readers demand.
We humbly seek to provide the tools and information necessary for our readers to decide for themselves what is true and what is right.
New Illegal Migrant Caravan Moving Towards US
Treasury Secretary Clarifies Threat Against Bill Pulte
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged Wednesday that he threatened to “kick ass” during a heated confrontation last year, while firmly denying reports that he threatened to punch the now-acting Director of National Intelligence “in the face.”
The unusual exchange emerged during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, where Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) pressed Bessent about reports surrounding a confrontation between the two Trump administration officials during the summer of 2025.
According to Bessent, one key detail in the widely circulated account was inaccurate.
While he denied threatening.
Seijah Drake
Seijah Drake was born in Boston, MA, where she developed a penchant for writing early on and a passion for politics in college. After college she worked briefly for a conservative media in New York before relocating to the Greater D.C. Area to pursue a career in political marketing. She now resides in the free state of Florida.
GOP-Led House Approves Iran War Powers Resolution In Rebuke To Trump
Six Thousand Complaints, 27 Investigations: The Federal Whistleblower Shield Exposed
California Tech CEO Arrested For Allegedly Supplying US Equipment To Iran’s Nuclear Program
Ohio Supreme Court Decision Could Affect Thousands Seeking Firearm Rights
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – American Liberty News (ALN) – in collaboration with the Center for American Defense Studies (CADS) – provides our readers the PDB:
Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING.
Get Your Best Daily Defense and Foreign Affairs Intelligence Here in One Brief.
Read the summaries or dive deeper via the linked articles.
Today’s PDB includes a variety of critical, global national security issues.
** For additional intel on the Russia-Ukraine war and other hot topics we can’t fit here, please also subscribe to ‘Paul’s Defense Brief’ at paulcrespo.substack.com.
READ TODAY’S PDB BELOW:
HOMELAND SECURITY
WITCH HUNT OR REAL THREAT? – Proud Boys leader, four lieutenants charged with seditious conspiracy. The new charges suggest investigators are stitching together a wider picture of organization within extremist groups that shared common if not overlapping goals in the January 2021 Capitol attack.
BIDEN’S BORDER CRISIS – Even the National Guard won’t be enough to solve border crisis when Title 42 ends. The simple fact is the Title 42 order — instituted in 2020 as part of the previous administration’s pandemic response — will be terminated eventually.
MIGRANT SURGE – MORE OF BIDEN’S BORDER CRISIS – US-bound migrant caravan leaves southern Mexico. Several thousand migrants have set out from southern Mexico in a caravan bound for the United States, which is hoping to address regional migration during talks at the Summit of the Americas this week in Los Angeles.
CHINA THREAT
GROWING NETWORK OF BASES – China secretly building PLA naval facility in Cambodia, Western officials say. The establishment of a Chinese naval base in Cambodia — only its second such overseas outpost and its first in the strategically significant Indo-Pacific region — is part of Beijing’s strategy to build a network of military facilities around the world in support of its aspirations to become a true global power, the officials said.
YES PLEASE – Japan calls for defense spending hike in policy paper, notes threats to Taiwan. Japan wants to drastically increase defense spending “within the next five years” it said on Tuesday in an annual economic policy document that for the first time mentioned both a time frame for the expenditure and concern about threats faced by Taiwan.
ISLAND HOPPERS – New Marine littoral regiment will make debut in this year’s RIMPAC drills. Marines with 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment will join ground forces along with a fleet of ships, submarines, and aircraft from 26 countries for this year’s multinational Rim of the Pacific maritime exercise off Hawaii, officials told USNI News.
RUSSIA THREAT
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 104. Zelenskyy says his country’s forces are not giving up positions in Severodonetsk, the main Donbas city not in Russian hands, where street fighting is raging. He did, however, admit that Russian forces had a numerical advantage in the battle. On Monday morning, Russian forces shelled the town of Zolote, destroying 13 houses, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said.
Ukraine’s position has ‘worsened’ in fight for Severodonetsk. Russian forces have been expanding their footprint in the city, though Ukrainian troops remain in control of its industrial zone.
Fighting rages in fierce battle for Ukraine’s east. Street fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops raged in the battle for the industrial city of Sievierodonetsk as Moscow’s forces pushed to conquer Ukraine’s eastern Donbas, seeking a decisive win more than 100 days into the invasion.
WOLVERINES! – Guerrilla attacks signal rising resistance to Russian occupation. The Kremlin-backed mayor of the Ukrainian town of Enerhodar was standing on his mother’s porch when a powerful blast struck, leaving him critically wounded. A week later, about 75 miles away, a car packed with explosives rocked the office of another Russian-appointed official in the occupied southern city of Melitopol.
NORTH KOREA THREAT
South Korea, US showcase air power during US official’s Seoul visit. South Korea and the United States staged a joint air power demonstration on Tuesday during a visit by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who said there would be a strong and clear response if North Korea were to conduct a nuclear test.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
The US is bombing al-Shabaab in Somalia, again. The airstrike happened two weeks after the Pentagon said it was sending troops back to the country.
BIDEN’S AFGHAN DISASTER
WHERE’D IT GO, JOE? Millions looted from Afghan government during Taliban takeover. Tens of millions of dollars disappeared from Afghan government bank accounts during the Taliban takeover in August, according to a U.S. government watchdog report released Monday, the latest in a series detailing the collapse of the Afghan government and its military.
US MILITARY AND SPACE
Marines closing down Kuwait gear stockpile to focus on Pacific. The Marine Corps is shuttering its combat gear storage program in the Middle East.
CONCERNING – US service member is possible suspect in Syria base blast. A U.S. service member has been identified as a possible suspect in an April explosion that injured several U.S. troops at a base in eastern Syria.
END of PDB
paulcrespo.com
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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
Paul Crespo
Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Liberty Defense News. As a Marine Corps officer, he led Marines, served aboard ships in the Pacific and jumped from helicopters and airplanes. He was also a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at U.S. embassies worldwide. He later ran for state and federal office, taught political science, wrote for the editorial board of a major newspaper and had his own radio show. A graduate of Georgetown, London and Cambridge universities, he brings decades of experience and insight to the issues that most threaten our American liberty – at home and from abroad. To read more go to: paulcrespo.com.
Paul Crespo
Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Liberty Defense News. As a Marine Corps officer, he led Marines, served aboard ships in the Pacific and jumped from helicopters and airplanes. He was also a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at U.S. embassies worldwide. He later ran for state and federal office, taught political science, wrote for the editorial board of a major newspaper and had his own radio show. A graduate of Georgetown, London and Cambridge universities, he brings decades of experience and insight to the issues that most threaten our American liberty – at home and from abroad. To read more go to: paulcrespo.com.
Treasury Secretary Clarifies Threat Against Bill Pulte
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At American Liberty News, we eschew the mainstream media’s tightly controlled narrative to provide our readers with real news, real insights, and the means to take action. We seek out insightful coverage – and partner with knowledgeable and experienced people and organizations to bring you the information and insight our readers demand.
We humbly seek to provide the tools and information necessary for our readers to decide for themselves what is true and what is right.
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