U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday stressed that President Donald Trump was joking when he said over the weekend that he could sue Kevin Warsh, his nominee to lead the Federal Reserve, if he doesn’t lower interest rates.

Bessent, who had been asked about the comment by Senator Elizabeth Warren during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Thursday, told CNBC in an interview that Trump’s quip at a Washington dinner was clearly made in jest.

“I tried to explain to Senator Warren … who seems to have no sense of humor, that it was a joke,” he said. “And again, the president has great respect for the Fed, for the Fed’s independence.”

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(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and David Lawder, Editing by Franklin Paul)