Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Scott Bessent's furious war with financial press threatens to spiral into crisis: insiders

rawstory.com · 17h · first reportShare

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has frozen out the news outlet that reported his own contradictory mortgage pledges, a campaign media figures warn could endanger the economy. The account comes from a Sunday report by Semafor media editor Max Tani, based on interviews with reporters, editors and Treasury officials. Tani reported that Bessent threatened Bloomberg News with retaliation last September, then spent a year carrying the threat out. Several media figures Tani contacted warned that a hostile relationship between the Treasury secretary and the press corps could pose a "real risk" if the United States hits an economic crisis, Semafor reported. The warning comes as high interest rates remain front-page news, according to the report, and as so-called bond vigilantes — investors who dump government debt to force a change in policy — test the Treasury's credibility. Those shut out are the outlets bond traders read. The fight began with a telephone call last September, according to Se