Howard Lutnick and Scott Bessent are at the centre of an increasingly bitter battle to be Donald Trump’s Treasury secretary, as Wall Street factions fight to discredit each other’s candidate.
Several financiers who supported Trump’s election bid moved on Monday to kill off Lutnick’s chances, saying he lacked the experience for the position and was abusing his position as a leader of the transition team to promote himself for the job.
Bessent came under attack later on Monday, when a purported record of poor returns at his hedge fund Key Square Group was circulated across chat groups on Wall Street and beyond, appearing to cast doubt on his financial acumen.