Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) in a tense scene Wednesday on Capitol Hill over documents that appeared to show the senator’s son met with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2016.
Bessent, testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, clashed with Wyden, who is the committee’s ranking member, early on in the hearing. During his opening statement, Wyden railed against the Treasury Department under Bessent and accused him of being involved in preventing transparency regarding Epstein.
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Bessent responded to Wyden at the tail end of his own opening remarks.
“Sen. Wyden has mendaciously slandered the Treasury building in an attempt to cover up his son having an investment meeting with Jeffrey Epstein to ask for funding,” Bessent said.
Wyden shot back.
“Let’s be clear here, nobody is interested in the ramblings of a capo in the most corrupt regime in American history,” Wyden responded, referencing a caporegime, which is a leadership position within the Mafia hierarchy.
Bessent then called out Wyden’s son by name.
“And we would like to hear what Adam Wyden and Jeffrey Epstein talked about,” Bessent continued. “Your son’s largest investment position was Rick’s Cabaret. So, did your son and Jeffrey Epstein talk about pole dancing, as he begged him for money using your limited credibility?”
During his opening remarks, Wyden attacked Bessent and brought up Epstein, a child sex offender whose death while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges was ruled a suicide.
“Even outside of economic matters, the treasury secretary is simply out of step with the American people,” Wyden said. “There’s no better example than the fact that there’s been a cover-up of the massive file of Epstein’s financial records for a year and a half.”
Documents released by the Justice Department earlier this year appear to show that Adam Wyden, the founder of ADW Capital, and Epstein met.
As part of an email exchange, Adam Wyden appeared to call them “like minded individuals” and said he “would very much look forward to having you join us at the fund.”
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The Washington Examiner asked Adam Wyden for comment about the exchange.
Video of the exchange between Wyden and Bessent made the rounds on social media on Wednesday. Rep. William Timmons (R-SC), a member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, posted the clip and asked whether it is something the committee should look into.
