Scott Bessent Threatens to Punch Bill Pulte in ‘F—ing’ Face at Tense Dinner: Report

A recent private dinner attended by some of President Donald Trump‘s close advisers reportedly got heated after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent threatened to punch an administration rival in the face.

On Wednesday, Sept. 3, Bessent allegedly lashed out at Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte, telling him he’d “punch” him in his “f—— face” at the event, which was held at a private members club, The Executive Branch, in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., according to Politico.

Bessent had reportedly heard from several people that Pulte — whose grandfather pioneered the home-construction behemoth PulteGroup — had been badmouthing him to Trump, the outlet stated.

“Why the f— are you talking to the president about me? F— you,” Bessent, 63, allegedly told Pulte, 37. “I’m gonna punch you in your f—— face.”

It’s unclear who initiated the conversation, Politico reported, noting that multiple people familiar with the situation had described what happened on the evening of the event.

The club’s co-owner and financier, Omeed Malik, ended up intervening, sources told the outlet, with an eyewitness insisting that Bessent wanted Pulte to be kicked out.

“It’s either me or him,” Bessent told Malik, according to Politico, adding, “You tell me who’s getting the f— out of here.”

He allegedly then suggested, “Or … we could go outside,” as Pulte questioned, “To do what? To talk?”

“No,” Bessent reportedly responded. “I’m going to f—— beat your ass.”

In the end, the two men were seated at opposite ends of the table during the dinner and the rest of the party — which was partly thrown to celebrate All-In podcaster Chamath Palihapitiya’s birthday — continued without any further drama, Politico noted.

The guest list at the lavish event also included Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Medicare and Medicaid chief Mehmet Oz, and others, per the outlet.

The Department of the Treasury, the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the White House didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment. PEOPLE has also attempted to reach out to Omeed Malik for additional information.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The alleged confrontation between Bessent and Pulte comes after Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social in May that the two men, plus Lutnick, would be discussing plans to make Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association) and Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) public.

Bessent and Pulte’s collaboration has reportedly resulted in behind-the-scenes clashes, Politico noted, citing multiple insiders.

Bessent allegedly believes that Pulte has been inserting himself into matters that he thinks belong in his jurisdiction, the outlet reported.