Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent took aim at an unnamed Wall Street Journal editor on Friday, accusing her of exposing the location of his home before Iranian threats forced him to move onto a military base.
Appearing on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Bessent was asked by co-host Joe Kernen about his relocation to secure housing. He insisted the threats had not shaken him or his colleagues, saying at one point, "F--- the Iranian leadership."
“I’m not going to be cowered that they have initiated death threats against me,” he said. “The other members of the Cabinet were not going to be cowered. And it means what we are doing with Operation Economic Outcast is working.”
He then compared his situation to that of troops in the region and to the president himself.
“And, you know, why am I going to be afraid when our brave military personnel in the gulf, President Trump constantly received death threats. And, you know, what we are doing is working. And the IRGC, they’re like a dangerous, cornered animal. So I follow the Secret Service instructions and have moved from my home to a military base.”
Bessent then turned his fire on the Journal.
“And what I will tell you, Joe, I do want to say that one of the reasons I’ve had to move is because the Wall Street Journal printed a photo of my house the day I bought it that has geolocate on it, and in a highly irresponsible way,” he said. “The editor, we pleaded with her not to print the location of my house, but she did anyway.”
“Highly irresponsible and dangerous and things like that have to stop,” he complained.
A source told Reuters that concerns about his safety grew after the Journal published an aerial view of the Georgetown mansion he bought for $12.5 million shortly after his January 2025 confirmation. Al Jazeera reported that the image allowed Iran to pinpoint the property.
News of the relocation broke earlier this week, when Bessent left his D.C. home amid escalating concerns about foreign plots against Trump officials. He isn’t the only one taking precautions. The New York Times said at least a half dozen senior officials have moved to military bases or secure housing over the past year, among them White House chief of staff Stephen Miller.
The attack on the Journal also continues a long-running feud. Bessent has been locked in a bitter fight with the financial press, and Semafor documented his deteriorating relationship with the reporters who cover him. Bloomberg, New York Times and Wall Street Journal reporters were denied credentials to cover the G20 finance meeting he hosted in Asheville, North Carolina.