Tag: Steve Mnuchin

‘Like Bond villains’: What happened when Steven Mnuchin and his wife posed with a sheet of money

The following article by Eli Rosenberg was posted on the Washington Post website November 15, 2017:

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his wife, Louise Linton, posed with a sheet of new $1 bills Nov. 15. (Associated Press)

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin did what just about anyone would do when presented with a newly minted sheet of American currency bearing their name and signature on Wednesday: He posed for a photo.

Coming in the midst of tax-overhaul plans by President Trump and congressional Republicans that nonpartisan analysts say would disproportionately benefit corporations and wealthy individuals, among others, the photo of Mnuchin and wife Louise Linton holding up the sheet of new $1 bills became an instant meme and drew wide mockery around the Internet. Continue reading “‘Like Bond villains’: What happened when Steven Mnuchin and his wife posed with a sheet of money”

Top Mnuchin aide’s private jet flight to Palm Beach was legal, but legal ‘does not always equate to wise,’ watchdog finds

The following article by Lisa Rein was posted on the Washington Post website November 1, 2017:

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Capitol Hill (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

On his way to lunch with President Trump at the White House on a Thursday in March, a major GOP political contributor and hedge fund billionaire named Nelson Peltz stopped by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s office to say hello to him and his chief of staff, Eli Miller.

Miller mentioned to Peltz that he was flying to Palm Beach, Fla., that night to visit his in-laws. Peltz said he was traveling there, too, and offered him a ride in his private jet. After getting a green light from Treasury’s ethics official, Miller accepted the ride, working and emailing on the flight while Peltz slept.

With a slew of senior Trump administration officials under scrutiny for their use of luxury air travel, the propriety of this trip came under investigation by the Treasury Department’s inspector general. Continue reading “Top Mnuchin aide’s private jet flight to Palm Beach was legal, but legal ‘does not always equate to wise,’ watchdog finds”

Mnuchin’s military flights exceed $800K

The following article by Julia Manchester was posted on the Hill website October 5, 2017:

Credit:   Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin‘s flights on military aircraft since March have cost $800,000, according to a report from the department’s inspector general.

The secretary has made nine requests to use military aircraft since assuming his position in the administration earlier this year, including a request for when he travels to the Middle East this month.

However, the report did not find any instances in which Mnuchin used military aircraft for private travel. Continue reading “Mnuchin’s military flights exceed $800K”

Hedge fund billionaire flew top Mnuchin aide on private jet to Palm Beach

The following article by Damian Paletta and Tom Hamburger was posted on the Washington Post website October 3, 2017:

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s top aide flew on a hedge fund billionaire’s private jet to Palm Beach, Fla., several months ago, people familiar with the trip said, the latest example of senior Trump administration officials using luxury air travel even though it often raises red flags with ethics officials.

Eli Miller, Mnuchin’s chief of staff, flew with Nelson Peltz, a founding partner of New York-based Trian Fund Management, on the trip. Peltz is an activist shareholder who has sought a board seat at Procter & Gamble, seeking to shake up management. He has spoken glowingly about Trump’s proposal to slash tax rates on businesses and the wealthy, which is something designed in large part by senior Treasury officials. Continue reading “Hedge fund billionaire flew top Mnuchin aide on private jet to Palm Beach”

Mnuchin dodges on if Trump would benefit from his tax proposal

The following article by Rebecca Savroansky was posted on the Hill website October 1, 2017:

© Keren Carrion

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Sunday dodged a question about whether President Trump would get a tax cut under his tax plan.

During an interview on ABC’s “This Week,” Mnuchin was asked whether Trump would benefit from his new tax proposal. Trump has faced the question numerous times since he began to push for the tax code reform, which he claims is not helpful for his own finances. Continue reading “Mnuchin dodges on if Trump would benefit from his tax proposal”

Trump’s plutocracy problem complicates push for tax cuts

The following article by James Hohmann with Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve was posted on the Washington Post website September 26, 2017:

Here are key moments from the speech President Trump gave on tax policy proposals in Mandan, N.D., Sept. 6. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

THE BIG IDEA: Two in three Americans believe that large corporations pay too little in taxes. Only 11 percent of U.S. adults think these businesses pay too much, while 17 percent think they pay their fair share. Even half of Republicans believe big businesses pay too little in taxes, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Overwhelmingly, across party lines, people feel that the current tax system is rigged in favor of the wealthy. Over 7 in 10 Americans think the tax system favors the rich. Just five percent think the current code favors the middle class. Continue reading “Trump’s plutocracy problem complicates push for tax cuts”

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin asked for government jet for honeymoon

The following article by Henry C. Jackson and Josh Dawsey was posted on the Politico website September 13, 2017:

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and his wife Louise Linton traveled to Scotland, France and Italy after their late-June wedding. | Mandegl Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin asked for a military jet to take him and his wife, actress Louise Linton, on their European honeymoon earlier this summer, the Treasury Department confirmed on Wednesday.

ABC News, citing anonymous sources, first reported that Mnuchin put the request in writing and that it led to an “inquiry” by the Treasury Department’s Office of Inspector General.

Mnuchin and Linton traveled to Scotland, France and Italy after their late-June wedding. The request for a military plane was eventually deemed unnecessary after further consideration. Continue reading “Treasury Secretary Mnuchin asked for government jet for honeymoon”

Treasury secretary’s wife boasts of travel on government plane, touts Hermes and Valentino fashion

The following article by Damian Paletta was posted on the Washington Post website August 21, 2017:

Louise Linton, wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, caused controversy on Aug. 21 when she boasted of traveling on a government plane and tagged high-end fashion designers. (Video: Elyse Samuels/Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s wife, Louise Linton, boasted of flying on a government plane with her husband to Kentucky on Monday and then named the numerous fashion brands she wore on the trip in an unusual social media post that only became more bizarre minutes later. Continue reading “Treasury secretary’s wife boasts of travel on government plane, touts Hermes and Valentino fashion”

Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s treasury secretary, is hurtling toward his first fiasco

The following article by Damian Paletta was posted on the Washington Post website July 17, 2017:

President Donald Trump walks with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to The White House after signing Executive Orders at the Treasury Building on April 21. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Shortly before he was sworn in as treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin spoke with his predecessor to get some advice.

Pay attention to the debt problems in Puerto Rico, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew warned Mnuchin, and remember that China’s currency issues are more complex than the incoming president, Donald Trump, had suggested during the campaign, according to two people briefed on the exchange who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reveal private discussions.

And in pointed remarks, Lew told Mnuchin to take the debt ceiling seriously — or face a potential financial crisis.

Months later, Mnuchin is hurtling toward his first fiasco, unable to get Congress, let alone his colleagues in the Trump administration, on board with a strategy to raise the federal limit on governmental borrowing. Continue reading “Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s treasury secretary, is hurtling toward his first fiasco”

John Lewis Hammers Steve Mnuchin Over Trump’s Sadistic Budget Cuts

The following article by Alexandra Rosenmann was posted on the AlterNet website May 24, 2017:

Before the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin attempted to defend President Trump’s $4.1 trillion budget, whose nearly $30 billion in cuts he attributed to “hard choices.” Ranking Democrat Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) wasn’t buying it.

“Mr. Secretary, I’ve often said that a budget proposal is a statement of values and priorities,” Lewis began. “This administration’s proposal makes crystal-clear that the hungry, the middle class, the elderly and the struggling will be left out and left behind.” Continue reading “John Lewis Hammers Steve Mnuchin Over Trump’s Sadistic Budget Cuts”