ABC News: Treasury Secretary Mnuchin requested government jet for European honeymoon
Secretary Steven Mnuchin requested use of a government jet to take him and his wife on their honeymoon in Scotland, France and Italy earlier this summer, sparking an “inquiry” by the Treasury Department's Office of Inspector General, sources tell ABC News.
Officials familiar with the matter say the highly unusual ask for a U.S. Air Force jet, which according to an Air Force spokesman could cost roughly $25,000 per hour to operate, was put in writing by the secretary's office but eventually deemed unnecessary after further consideration of by Treasury Department officials.
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Update #1: Treasury: Mnuchin Requested Plane for Secure Communications (US News and World Report/AP)
Update #2: Mnuchin Asked to Use $25000/Hour Government Jet for His Honeymoon (Vanity Fair)
WNU Editor: Apparently Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin asked for a government plane to use during his honeymoon vacation in Europe earlier this year because he needed access to secure communications ..... which as Treasury Secretary he does need. But after another secure communications option was identified his request was withdrawn .... my guess is that they told him to go to a U.S. embassy or consulate if he needs to talk government business. Is this a big story .... not really .... he did not take a government plane. But the media is having a field day.
2 comments:
For better or worse, this type of situation for US government officials is not only not unusual but is normal. As such, no one would generally think anything wrong. For the media to have any kind of field day with this is more than a bit hypocritical. A good question to ask is "where has the media been for the last 50++ years as this sort of thing has been going on?"
This case is a mere blip compared to the kind of stuff that routinely happens. Since he does need secure communications for what he does, I think a case could be made that this is easier done on a government plane than at an embassy and to require him to go to an embassy may make his job more difficult and may compromise his ability to carry out America's interests.
It's only a big story because of his wife, who famously posted a pic of her leaving a government plane and tagged all the designer stuff she's wearing in that pic. You know the saying behind every successful man there's a woman helping him blabla. It's more like behind every successful man there's a gold digger asking him for crazy stuff "honey let's have another gov. Plane for our honeymoon. .just ask them already"
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