Tension Reported Between Treasury Secretary Bessent and National Cyber Director Cairncross Over AI Policy

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

Two of the key officials in the Trump administration reportedly have tension between them, a report has said. Citing people familiar with the matter, Axios reports that there’s a friction between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross, and the catalyst is how the government should respond to advanced AI models. According to Axios, the clash over the administration’s AI response has deepened following the latest Anthropic dispute. “Cairncross believes that Treasury has become too involved, while Bessent and allies in the White House believe Cairncross has not met the moment with the necessary urgency,” Axios said in a report.

Clash over Anthropic's 'Mythos'

The friction between the two leaders traces back to the early stages of policymaking, specifically regarding the government’s response to Anthropic’s advanced AI model, “Mythos” which revealed several vulnerabilities in legacy software. Last month, a report by Politico said that Bessent was reportedly displeased with the speed of the administration's actions and disagreed with Cairncross over their respective roles and jurisdictions. Citing sources, the Treasury Secretary grew concerned that the National Cyber Director was not moving quickly enough to address potential security threats that Mythos could pose to the nation's critical infrastructure and financial systems. The arrival of the advanced Anthropic software accelerated those concerns, complicating an already tense policy debate within the federal government. Citing sources, the report further claimed that the two argued after a top Treasury aide requested direct access to the Mythos model without going through the standard interagency review process. In April, following complaints from the financial industry that too many separate government offices were bombarding companies with information requests at once, Bessent issued a directive, consolidating the Treasury Department’s response to the Mythos AI model directly through the secretary’s personal office.

The White House rejects division

Despite reports of internal fighting, the White House is publicly downplaying any notion of a divide. In a statement, White House spokesperson Liz Huston emphasised that the team is working in coordination. “The President's team, including Secretary Bessent and Sean Cairncross, is working closely together to strengthen America's cyber and national security, protect critical infrastructure, and ensure the United States remains the global leader in AI innovation,” White House spokesperson Liz Huston said.