Bessent Reveals Assassination Attempt Hours After Swearing-In

Clear Facts

• Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent disclosed he was targeted for assassination just two hours after being sworn into office
• Ryan Michael English, 24, pleaded guilty to attempting to assassinate Bessent at the U.S. Capitol with a knife and Molotov cocktails
• Bessent invoked the attack at a State Department summit on political terrorism to push back against critics dismissing left-wing extremist threats

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed Thursday that he survived an assassination attempt by a left-wing activist just hours after taking his oath of office. The dramatic disclosure came as he confronted critics who have questioned the Trump administration’s focus on violent far-left extremism.

Speaking at the State Department’s Ministerial on the Resurgence of Political Terrorism, Bessent directly challenged media narratives downplaying threats from radical leftist groups.

“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,” Bessent said.

“Any of you who want to report that this is a fiction and does not exist, be there for the sentencing this August.”

The Treasury Secretary was referring to Ryan Michael English, a 24-year-old Massachusetts man who pleaded guilty in March to charges related to the assassination attempt at the U.S. Capitol. English traveled to Washington on January 27, 2025, armed with a folding knife and two improvised Molotov cocktails.

According to the Justice Department, English approached a U.S. Capitol Police officer and turned himself in. Prosecutors revealed that English admitted he came to the Capitol intending to kill a Cabinet nominee whose Senate confirmation vote was scheduled that day or burn down a Washington think tank.

Investigators recovered a note in which English allegedly wrote, in part, “This is terrible but I cant do nothing while nazis kill my sisters.” The rhetoric reflects the increasingly violent language used by far-left activists against conservative officials.

English pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful receipt, possession and transfer of a firearm and one count of carrying a dangerous weapon on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. He faces sentencing on August 14.

Bessent made his remarks as administration officials gathered representatives from roughly 65 countries for a State Department summit aimed at building international cooperation against what the Trump administration describes as a resurgence of violent far-left political terrorism. The conference represents a significant shift in focus toward recognizing threats from radical leftist movements that have been downplayed by previous administrations and mainstream media outlets.

The assassination attempt underscores the real dangers faced by conservative officials in an increasingly polarized political climate. Despite clear evidence of violence from far-left activists, many media outlets and Democratic politicians have consistently minimized these threats while focusing almost exclusively on right-wing extremism.

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