Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has a retort to critics who think that he and others in the Trump administration are exaggerating the threat of leftist political terrorism and are focusing too heavily on it. He himself was the subject of an assassination attempt by an “addled left-wing activist” even before he could be sworn in, he reminded the crowd at the State Department's Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism summit on Thursday.
Watch:
.@SecScottBessent at the Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism: I'm going to remind everyone in this room—and all the media—that I was the subject of an assassination attempt by an addled left-wing activist two hours after being sworn into my job. So any of you who… pic.twitter.com/Al22rNL2JL
— Treasury Department (@USTreasury) July 16, 2026
.@SecScottBessent at the Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism: I'm going to remind everyone in this room—and all the media—that I was the subject of an assassination attempt by an addled left-wing activist two hours after being sworn into my job. So any of you who want to report that this is a fiction and does not exist, be there for the sentencing this August.
He was likely referring to the bizarre events of January 27, 2025, when 24-year-old Ryan English turned himself in to Capitol Police officers and admitted that he had traveled to D.C. to kill a “presidential cabinet nominee” that was going to be sworn in later in the day. He had initially considered targeting War Secretary Pete Hegseth or House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-4), but changed his mind for reasons known only to his own warped self. He had two improvised Molotov cocktails and a folding knife in his possession. Authorities later confirmed that the “Cabinet nominee” was Scott Bessent.
Even if the effort fizzled out before it went anywhere, it can’t be a comforting feeling for Bessent, knowing that some freak was hell-bent on killing him.
MORE: Speaker Johnson and Secretaries Bessent and Hegseth Targeted in Bizarre Assassination Attempt
Watch: Radical Dem Calls for 'Trans Jihad' Against GOP
The Left can minimize the surge in leftist violence all they want, he continued, but the Treasury Department is taking action:
At President Trump’s direction, @USTreasury is bringing the full weight of our authorities to defend the integrity of the U.S. and global financial systems.
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) July 16, 2026
We will identify illicit funding, however artfully it is concealed. We will dismantle the networks that sustain political… pic.twitter.com/oS1ri4kZeX
The terrorists can run, but they can’t hide, he warned, and we'll hit them where it hurts: in their wallets.
"On behalf of the United States Treasury, let there be no uncertainty about the work before us and the resolve with which we will undertake it. We will identify illicit funding, however artfully it is concealed. We will dismantle the networks that sustain political terrorism, however respectable their fronts may be.
We will pursue those who enable political violence, however distant their jurisdictions, and we will deepen our collaboration with every nation represented in this room for as long as this work requires.
One of the ways we can fight leftist terror, Bessent continued, is by formally designating organizations like Antifa as terrorist groups, which President Trump did in September. The administration expanded that directive in November, adding four more European groups to the list.
SECRETARY BESSENT: "In the fall, the United States designated 4 far-left Antifa extremist groups abroad as foreign terrorist organizations." pic.twitter.com/Auuhz2BUaB
— Department of State (@StateDept) July 16, 2026
Bessent:
In the fall, the United States designated four far-left Antifa extremist groups abroad as foreign terrorist organizations, denying them access to the US financial system and depriving them of resources they need to carry out attacks…
As Treasury continues to map and disrupt the flow of funding that enables these entities to operate, no terror organization should delude itself into the belief that its financing lies beyond our reach.
No facilitator should assume that anonymity... confers impunity. And no jurisdiction should expect to enable or harbor these activities without consequence.
This is the way. Cut off the money to goons in organizations like Antifa and other violent groups and watch them wither on the vine. Take the fight to them, and leave them gasping for air.
Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.
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