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Bessent blasts newspaper editor over ‘reckless journalism’ after Iran threats force move to military base
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blamed Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker for authorising a photograph of his Washington home that he said revealed its location. He said reported threats were serious enough to make his family move to a military base, but declined to say whether he had faced an assassination attempt.
Bessent’s relocation comes amid reported Iranian threats against him, which a senior administration official said had advanced beyond an initial stage. Other senior officials, including Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, have also reportedly moved to military or protected housing, though the reasons vary. Previous alleged Iran-backed plots have targeted former national security adviser John Bolton and Donald Trump.
In short
- Bessent says threats led his family to move to a military base.
- He blames a geolocated photo of his home for exposing its location.
- Other senior officials have also relocated amid security concerns.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Publishing a photograph that reveals where a senior official lives can create a real security risk, especially amid credible reports of threats against him. Editors have a duty to weigh the public interest against foreseeable harm, and critics may reasonably argue that the Journal should have taken greater care to obscure identifying details and that Bessent was justified in speaking out to protect his family.
The case against
A photograph of a home does not by itself establish that the newspaper caused or materially increased the danger, and reporting on the residence of a powerful public official may serve legitimate scrutiny. Publicly blaming the editor without showing that the image exposed a previously unknown location risks conflating journalism with the separate reported threats; security decisions may also reflect precaution rather than evidence of an imminent attack.