White House officials are questioning the “stability” of a key agency within the Trump administration after a top Treasury Department official appears poised to step down from their position amid rising “tension,” Bloomberg reported Sunday.
That official is John Hurley, the undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, who, according to “people familiar with the matter,” is set to leave his position after “friction with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.” While those same sources told Bloomberg that Hurley was being considered for an ambassador position, his apparent departure comes after a wave of departures from the Treasury Department, sparking concerns among White House officials.
“Overall, the level of turnover has raised questions among current and former officials about stability inside one of the government’s most market-sensitive agencies,” Bloomberg’s report reads.
The first Trump administration saw record-setting turnover of Cabinet-level positions, and while the second Trump administration has managed to preserve its top officials this time around, it’s also seen considerable turnover of senior staff. That turnover appears especially concentrated in the Treasury Department, which has suffered with “months of internal tension,” particularly over sanction tactics.
Bessent’s former chief of staff, Dan Katz, left his position last year, and his successor, Michael Friedman, has left as well, the anonymous officials told Bloomberg.
“Tensions within Treasury have grown in recent months over how sanctions authorities get deployed, particularly as some of President Donald Trump’s top advisers pursued designations against political opponents, including foreign judicial officials and international institutions, several of the people said,” Bloomberg’s report reads.
“Some career staff raised concerns privately about reputational and diplomatic fallout, while others argued the measures were consistent with the administration’s broader strategic posture.”