WASHINGTON (VINnews) – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent disclosed publicly for the first time Thursday that he was the target of an alleged assassination plot just hours after being sworn into office.

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Speaking at a State Department ministerial on political terrorism, Bessent said he was the subject of an alleged assassination attempt “two hours after being sworn into my job,” adding that the case demonstrates that politically motivated violence remains a real threat.

Scott Bessent: “I'm going to remind the media that I was the subject of an assassination attempt February 2024by an adult 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… pic.twitter.com/MOZHfirMkG

— MCBN (@MCBNNEWSS) July 16, 2026

Federal prosecutors have charged Ryan Michael English, 24, of Massachusetts, in connection with the alleged plot. According to the Justice Department, English traveled to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 27, 2025, carrying a folding knife and two improvised Molotov cocktails with the intention of killing a Cabinet nominee whose Senate confirmation vote was scheduled that day.

English later pleaded guilty to federal charges, including unlawful receipt, possession and transfer of a firearm and carrying a dangerous weapon or incendiary device on U.S. Capitol grounds. He is scheduled to be sentenced in August.

Bessent made the remarks while defending the Trump administration’s efforts to combat politically motivated violence and expand investigations into financial networks that officials say support violent extremist groups.