In a dramatic exchange during the House Financial Services Committee hearing on February 4, 2026, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) aggressively questioned Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on whether he would commit to pausing and heightening scrutiny of Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) bank charter or licensing applications tied to World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency firm.
Bessent declined to answer the inflammatory question, emphasizing the OCC’s independence, prompting Meeks to erupt, accusing him of “covering for the president” and being a “flunky,” while demanding he “work for the American people, not for a mob.” Bessent countered by referencing Meeks’ past trips to Venezuela.
Starting his insane and ill-worded screed, Meeks whined, “[I] Work for the American people, [not]
for a mob. I just want to know whether you will commit todayto pause and heighten the scrutiny of any bank charter or licensing application at the OCC connected to the world Liberty financial.”
Scarely stopping for breath, the flustered Democrat continued, “Until all of these conflicts of interest and foreign influence reviews are completed and shared with the United States Congress, all you know is, will you halt it and do a complete investigation and scrutiny of these license applications, yes or no?”
Exhausted with the theatrics, Bessent answered, “No congressman. The OCC is an independent entity, and I would know the Congressman…you traveled [to Venezuela]…On behalf…” Rudely speaking over the Trump official, the irritating New York Democrat interjected, “I will take that as a note,” sputtering, “I take that as that. I take that as a note for the 7 billion I’m asking you to do your responsibility as Secretary of the Treasury….You do not make…you cannot.”
As the chair noted that Meeks had used up all of his time, the Democrat melted down in epic fashion. He pouted, “Mr. Chairman, no, and he did not answer my question, or he wouldn’t.” Annoyed, the chair noted, “He had six seconds left to try to answer your question.”
Undeterred, the Democrat stated, “And it was a yes or no. It was a yes-or-no answer. I asked him, Will he…gentleman? Yes or no.” Confused, Bessent asked, “For the President?” Attempting to score political points, he snapped, “Yeah, well, stop being his flunky.”
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As the chair despirately sought to restore order, Bessent pointed out that the congressman had taken “six trips to Venezuela.” Building himself into a rage, Meeks claimed, “Don’t be a flunky work for the American, work for the American people, [not] for a mob.”
Watch the clip here:
This is far from the only dramatic moment from this meeting. As we reported at the American Tribune, controversial Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) attacked Bessent, saying, “So I ask you, Secretary Bessent, will you be the voice of reason in this administration and urge President Trump to stop waging a war on American consumers, harming housing affordability, and putting the economy at risk?”
“Yes or no. You don’t have to explain. Will you be the voice of reason? Can you shut him up? No, my time has not expired. The gentleman took up my time,” she raved in a moment that went viral on social media for its embarrassing lack of decorum.
Featured image from embedded video