Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin requested a $25000-an-hour Air Force jet to travel to Europe for his honeymoon

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

The use of government air travel by Treasury
Secretary Steven Mnuchin is once again under scrutiny.

Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs banker and film producer, asked
for the use of an Air Force jet to
travel to Europe for his honeymoon in Scotland, Italy, and
France,
according to ABC News.

The use of the jet was denied, according to the report, but it
would have cost about $25,000 an hour to operate the aircraft for
the trip.

This is the second time in two months that Mnuchin’s travel has
come under scrutiny. In August he traveled with his wife, Louise
Linton, to Fort Knox in Kentucky for the
solar eclipse. The Treasury said the travel was not improper
because Mnuchin was in Kentucky for meetings to discuss taxes and
the travel of Linton would be reimbursed.

Mnuchin’s net worth from his pre-White House investment days

is roughly $300 million.

The Fort Knox trip prompted an internal review of the matter by
the Treasury inspector general,
according to ABC News, and the same office is now looking
into Mnuchin’s honeymoon request.

The use of such a jet would be highly unusual for a Treasury
secretary, as military aircraft are more often used by the
secretaries of state and defense, who have a deeper role in
national security issues.

A Treasury official
told ABC News that Mnuchin requested the Air Force jet to
ensure he had a secure method of communication and that the
request was denied because it was deemed “unnecessary” because
there were other ways to securely communicate.

Read the full report at ABC News»