GOP/STEVE MNUCHIN/TREASURY: “Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin loves being at the center of the White House action, a place he found himself again on Thursday [1-11-18], in the briefing room talking about the latest round of corporate pay hikes and bonuses. The latest West Wing appearance was right in Mnuchin’s sweet spot, on the implementation and impact of the big GOP tax cut bill. But the Treasury secretary keeps trying to insert himself into other major policy debates, from the Iran deal and North Korea to trade, infrastructure and the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity efforts.
This always-on-the-scene behavior is causing tension with White House chief of staff John Kelly, who has tried to impose structure and keep people in their lanes, as well as with other senior administration officials and fellow Cabinet members, according to a dozen current and former senior administration officials and close advisers to the White House.
Mnuchin arrived in the administration a year ago fresh from President Donald Trump’s campaign plane, and his boundless enthusiasm for his job has led him to constantly expand his domain. Many observers see the Treasury chief using his proximity to the White House and his close relationship with the president to grab hold of any issue he can and bring it into his portfolio…
The White House press office and a Treasury spokesman denied that Mnuchin is straying from his robust Treasury portfolio or has tension with any other Cabinet members, Kelly or other senior staffmembers.”
-Nancy Cook and Ben White, “Steven Mnuchin’s ever-expanding orbit spurs a backlash,” Politico, Jan. 12, 2018 05:06am