Mnuchin, Wife Linton Requested $25,000-Per-Hour Government Jet for Honeymoon

The request was withdrawn, but it sparked an inquiry at Treasury Department.

Author:: Kinsey Grant
Publish date:: Sep 14, 2017 3:42 PM EDT

A few weeks after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's wife Louise Linton called a social media critic "adorably out of touch" for suggesting the couple used a government jet for a getaway, ABC reported that Mnuchin and Linton asked to use a government jet for their honeymoon earlier this summer.

The couple reportedly requested a U.S. Air Force jet to transport them to Scotland, France and Italy after their June nuptials. Use of the jet could runs a staggering $25,000 per hour, according to Air Force spokespeople.

The Treasury leader's request for the jet sparked an "inquiry" by the Department's Office of the Inspector General. Mnuchin's Treasury spokespeople insisted the couple requested the government jet for their honeymoon out of concern for maintaining a secure line of communication with Washington.

"You don't need a giant rulebook of government requirements to just say to yourself, 'This is common sense, it's wrong.' That's just slap your forehead stuff," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) said of Mnuchin's request.

Mnuchin is independently wealthy from his time as an executive at Goldman Sachs and worth as much as $300 million. Linton is a Scottish actress and model.

The same trip that spurred Linton to get into an online spat with an Oregon woman is also under review by the Inspector General. The probe is investigating whether Linton and Mnuchin used the government jet that was taking them to visit Fort Knox, Kentucky, to snag a prime view of the solar eclipse in its path of totality.

Mnuchin's camp has refuted that claim, saying the trip to Fort Knox was to discuss tax reform. The Treasury Department added that the Mnuchins would cover the cost of travel.

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