ETHICS/STEVE MNUCHIN/TREASURY: “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has not violated any laws with his use of government-funded planes but should provide more detail on why he needs them in the future, the department’s inspector general found in a report released Thursday [10-5-17].
Mnuchin has flown on military aircraft seven times since becoming secretary, at a cost of approximately $811,797.81, and will do so again later this month, according to the report. He has never expensed a private charter flight…
The report was prompted by requests after Mnuchin’s trip to Kentucky with his wife, Louise Linton, who famously posted a picture of herself leaving the plane on Instagram and drew attention to the designer brands she was wearing.
According to the report, a fare was estimated for Linton’s travel, for which Mnuchin reimbursed the government…
In the eight approved flights — which do not include Mnuchin’s withdrawn request to use a government-funded plane for his honeymoon — the trips were classified as White House support missions. To qualify as such a mission, the president ‘must have specifically directed that the travel occur’ by personally requesting the assignment.”
-Victoria Guia, “Treasury inspector general finds no wrongdoing in Mnuchin plane travel,” Politico, Oct. 5, 2017 05:07pm