Mnuchin’s flight to Ft. Knox with wife cost up to $33,000

When Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin flew to Kentucky to tour Fort Knox during the the solar eclipse, he didn’t just want any plane.

He wanted a GIV, according to several specific aircraft requests emailed by staff.

Documents obtained by a watchdog group in an information request reveal the repeated efforts by staff to secure the glamorous aircraft for a day trip that ended up including Mnuchin’s wife, actress Louise Linton.

On the trip, the secretary the chance to see the eclipse from an optimal location after viewing some of the nation’s stored bullion.

The cost was up to $33,000, according to government documents revealed Thursday.

The plane he got, with its sleek oval windows, provided the perfect backdrop for what ended up being an infamous image after Linton tweeted it out along with hashtags for the brands she was wearing. 

A June 27, 2017 email from a Treasury to advance the trip official specifically mentioned the aircraft.  

‘I am sending a request to see the availability for a same-day mission for an upcoming trip for us in August. The Secretary is looking to travel to Fort Knox on August 8th,’ the official wrote to Lori Pink, a government aircraft specialist.

‘We would request the GIV to accommodate staff and security. We would fly in to Louisville, reposition the plane at Fort Knox and then depart from Fort Knox back to DC,’ wrote the Treasury’s director of travel policy and operations,’ the email states.

‘I’m sorry, but our G-IV won’t be available that week,’ was the initial response from an faa.gov officlal. An eight-seat Citation was available.

The plan called for a 9:30 AM departure from Washington National Airport, an arrival in Louisville at 11:00 AM, at which time people would ‘reposition’ the plane to allow for a 5:00 pm departure from Fort Knox ‘without Treasury passengers.’

The trip ended up moving when the Senate’s August recess got pushed back.  

A June 28, 2017 estimate from the faa.gov, which arranges government aircraft, refers to running ‘performance requirements for the Citation operating at Ft. Knox Army Airfield, which has a relatively short runway. It refers to a backup of having the group return to the Louisville airport.

At that point, the price is quoted at $19,000 – though it would be just $2,000 without the Ft. Knox stop.

Pink responded at one point: ‘At this time, the end of August is heavily scheduled. We can offer the G4 on August 31 and September 1 if either of those dates work for the Secretary’s travel. Should other dates become available in a reasonable time, we’ll get back to you.

The Treasury official wrote back: ‘Just checking to see if, by chance, any other missions fell through and an asset would be available for July 21st,’ the official wrote – likely referring to August 21.

‘Understand if nothing is available, but figured I’d give it one last shot. Thanks.’

‘We are still unable to support your requested travel the week of 21 August,’ Pink, a flight operations specialist, responded.

A July 18 made another pitch for the GIV aircraft.  

‘As you may have seen, the Senate is pushing back August recess and it is going to impact our visit. We are working to identify dates later in August for the same routing and will keep you posted. We will pull down the planned mission for the 8th at this time.’

‘Question,’ the email continued. ‘I know the GIV was unavailable for the 8th due to maintenance. Is that asset available, by chance, later in the month? Closer to the last two weeks of August?’

Pink responded that ‘At this time, the end of August is heavily scheduled. We can offer the G4 on August 31 and September 1 if either of those dates work for the Secretary’s travel. Should other dates become available in a reasonable time, we’ll get back to you.

The Treasury official wrote back with another pitch. ‘Just checking to see if, by chance, any other missions fell through and an asset would be available for July 21st,’ the official wrote – likely referring to August 21.

‘Understand if nothing is available, but figured I’d give it one last shot. Thanks.’

‘We are still unable to support your requested travel the week of 21 August,’ Pink, a flight operations specialist, responded. 

A Treasury Department report found there ‘is no indication that the date was chosen to coincide with the solar eclipse.” It also said Mnuchin requested a Gulfstream 550 in case the Fort Knox runway was wet and wanted a plane with ‘communications capabilities is requested in the event that the secretary’s participation on a call during travel arises.’

Mnuchin racked up $33,000 in air costs to take a government jet to Kentucky with his wife during the eclipse, government documents reveal. 

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington obtained government records for Treasury Secretary Mnuchin’s travel through information requests, determining that taxpayers covered $1 million in air travel for seven trips he took in 2017.

Mnuchin, a wealthy movie producer who became Donald Trump’s finance chair and then secretary of the Treasury, is not among those officials required to travel on special aircraft.

The Ft. Knox trip gained Internet notoriety after Mnuchin’s wife, actress Louise Linton, posted a glamorous picture on Instagram, including hashtags of her various name brand accessories.  

Going for gold? Louise Linton caused a brouhaha last year when she shared this image of her and hubby Steven Mnuchin arriving in Kentucky – and tagged her clothing labels

Her wardrobe totaled more than $14,000, DailyMail.com revealed at the time.

Mnuchin and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell attended a luncheon event shortly before the eclipse, and McConnell posted about it on Facebook, saying they viewed the eclipse.

A June trip to Miami cost $45,000 for air expenses. A trip to West Virginia and Las Vegas cost $93,000.

And Middle East trip cost cost $183,000, a document titled ‘Mil Air Costs Administration to date.’ 

One email, from the director of Travel Policy and Operations at Treasury, quotes a roughly $27,000 flight to Miami – but also reveals Mnuchin would be able to cut costs to just $688 if he was willing to fly commercial. 

The email is titled ‘FAA quote for Miami.’ 

Mnuchin’s taxpayer funded trip coincided with the eclipse

THIS ONE’S EVEN FASTER: President Donald Trump sits between Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin (L) and Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg (R) during a round table at Boeing in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. March 14, 2018

‘Per your request I have asked FAA for a quote for use of the G-IV for the Miami day trip on June 15. Times estimated and can be updated as needed. Total cost for the flight would be approx. $26,953.33,’ wrote the unnamed official.

The official then added: ‘While I understand that current availability of commercial flights do not accommodate your scheduling needs, for your awareness, the cost per person on commercial air is approx.: $688 roundtrip.

The trip was for Mnuchin to attend the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America and to host a meeting Mexico’s finance minister.

GOOD TO KNOW! A Treasury official noted that Mnuchin’s cost of government aircraft to Miami would be $26,953 – but he could fly commercial for $688

Treasury sought to designate it as a ‘White House Mission tirp,’ noting it was justified due to “scheduling, logistics, and secure communications needs during the return flight.’

Plane crass: Linton was slammed for boasting of her $14,540 outfit in a state where 19% live under the poverty line. A spokesperson said her seat on the flight was paid for by Mnuchin

“From the documents we obtained, it appears Secretary Mnuchin considers first and foremost his own comfort and ease, leaving the protection of taxpayer money at the bottom of his list of priorities,” CREW’s chief FOIA counsel Anne Weismann said in a statement that accompanied the release of the documents.

‘The public still has no reasonable explanation for why Secretary Mnuchin apparently has never used commercial aircraft while his predecessors did, or why he needs military aircraft that can accommodate 120 passengers when his travel manifests contain far fewer names,” Weismann added.

From Kentucky at the time of the Mnuchin visit, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell posted on Facebook with a sun-lit image of himself and Mnuchin – with no trace of Linton in the shot – outside the front door of Ft. Knox, which Mnuchin toured during the trip on Monday. 

‘The U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and I in front of the main door to the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox before we viewed the #solareclipse today,’ McConnell wrote, in an image from Fort Knox, Kentucky.  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk