Scott Bessent denies Maxine Waters’ assertion that he permitted ‘strangers’ to view Treasury information.

Treasury Secretary Challenges Rep. Waters Over Data Access

On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent confronted Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat from California, regarding claims that “strangers” could access sensitive information within his department.

Waters pointed out concerns about the Government Efficiency Office (DOGE) staff having access to Treasury data during a House Financial Services Committee hearing. She referred to them as “strangers,” but Bescent clarified they were indeed Treasury employees.

“What you did was access all your data, all your HR information and put these strangers in our Treasury Department,” Waters stated, questioning the rationale behind this access.

Bescent countered, reaffirming, “No, they were Treasury employees.” He highlighted that one of the individuals, Erez, was a Treasury employee, just like Tom Krause, another senior member of the DOGE team.

Krause serves as the finance secretary at the Treasury. Despite Waters’ assertions about DOGE employees accessing personal information, Bescent reiterated that all individuals with data access are employees of his department.

A statement from the Treasury, issued on February 4, outlined that DOGE aimed to evaluate the “efficiency” of its operations by collaborating with Krause for “read-only access” to specific data. The Treasury likened this access to those granted to external auditors, emphasizing that it aligns with practices to safeguard the integrity of their systems.