Scott Besant mocks Democrats during his testimony, suggesting their questions are unserious and stupid

Treasury secretaries’ appearances on Capitol Hill are typically known more for sober exchanges over economic policy than political theater, but Wednesday’s House Financial Services Committee hearing included several fiery exchanges between a Republican Cabinet member and Democrats, with Picent even shouting insults at lawmakers.

Pisant described Rep. Sylvia Garcia as “confused” when she asked how undocumented immigrants affected housing affordability across the country, prompting the Texas Democrat to respond, saying: “Don’t be insulting to me, okay?”

Pisant later mocked a question from Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., about Investigations into cryptocurrency companies closed. Lynch expressed frustration with Besant’s interruption, saying, “Mr. Chairman, the answers must be responsive if we are to have a serious hearing.”

“Well, the questions must be serious,” Besant replied.

After a debate over whether tariffs cause inflation or one-time price increases for consumers, California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters asked committee leaders to intervene with Picent: “Can someone shut him up?”

And in a fiery exchange with Representative Gregory Meeks about the Abu Dhabi royal family’s investment in the Trump family Global cryptocurrency company Liberty Financial Last year, the New York Democrat dropped an F-bomb when he shouted at Picent: “Stop covering up for the president! Stop being stupid!”

The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the fireworks.

Graham Steele, a former assistant secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions under Biden Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, said Besent’s performance was “not a role you would normally see a Treasury secretary playing.” The department has traditionally been “left out of some of the day-to-day political battles,” Steele said in an interview.

He noted that his former boss had tense disagreements over climate change and policy issues with Republican lawmakers during committee hearings, but the exchanges were not personal, noting that Treasury secretaries must strike a “delicate balance” in working with the White House while maintaining the country’s “economic standing” internationally.

In recent months, Pisant has escalated his insults when it comes to Democratic leaders.

He described California Governor Gavin Newsom as “economically illiterate,” compared him to fictional killer Patrick Bateman, and described him as “a brontosaurus with a brain the size of a walnut.” He has on several occasions described Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren as an “American Peronist” after she asked US financial institutions not to finance the Trump administration’s massive support package for Argentina.

David Lublin, chair of government affairs at American University’s School of Public Affairs, said Besant’s fighting spirit is, in part, a sign of the times.

“President Trump has shown that he loves to fight and loves the candidates and others who are vocal in his defense,” Lublin told the Associated Press.

“It’s hard to say this is unusual for this political environment,” Lublin said. “What used to be a normal minimum level of respect for Congress has diminished to the point of disappearing.”

What was unusual, in Lublin’s view, was for Besant to reveal his thoughts on monetary policy — which is usually the purview of the Fed — and his insistence that Trump has the right to interfere in the central bank’s decision-making process. “You have a Cabinet secretary defending the president’s efforts to undermine institutions,” Lublin said.

On Thursday, Picente will get another chance to take on lawmakers. He is scheduled to appear before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on the same topic: the annual report of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, which Besent chairs.