Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Has Cost Taxpayers $800,000 For Military Jet Travel
These people are the swamp.
The Trump administration has a private plane problem. The problem is, the whole administration seems to be obsessed taking private planes at immense taxpayer expense.
A new report by The New York Times found that Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s travels on military aircraft have cost taxpayers more than $800,000 since March.
The Times cites the Treasury Department’s own inspector general report in their story.
Mnuchin racked up the massive taxpayer tab by taking seven trips, including one from Washington to New York for a meeting with the president at Trump Tower that cost $15,000 round-trip.
As The New York Times reports, Mr. Mnuchin has made nine requests for military aircraft since assuming his position earlier this year and has taken seven flights. A request to use a military plane for his European honeymoon with his wife, Louise Linton, in August was withdrawn. A ninth flight is scheduled for later this month, when Mr. Mnuchin is expected to travel to the Middle East.”
According to the inspector general report, there was a “disconnect between the standard of proof called for … and the actual amount of proof provided by Treasury and accepted by the White House in justifying these trip requests.”
The inspector general’s inquiry started after an Instagram photo posted by Mnuchin’s wife, Louise Linton bragging about her luxury lifestyle, seemingly on the government dime.
The entire administration has come under fire for the inappropriate use of private jets with several members of the administration currently being investigated.
The scandal hit a flashpoint last week with the resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. Price took dozens of private jet and military plane trips costing taxpayers at least $1 million.
Read the full New York Times report here.
[image via C Span screenshot]
