Discussion: Watchdog Publishes Docs Detailing Mnuchin's Sky-High Travel Costs

He’s worth $300 million, give or take a few dollars.

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In case you missed it in the article, the report is at

He spent $15,112.50 to go to a meeting at Trump Tower, probably with two other guys on the NYC bound flight only. I don’t know if this includes the car to National and the car from LaGuardia to Trump Tower. His car to National probably started at his house in Massachusetts Heights DC.

http://www.cottages-gardens.com/Deeds-Donts/March-2017/Treasury-Secretary-Steve-Mnuchin-Bought-Washington-DC-House/

Perusing the photos kind of pictures the whole zeitgeist he lives in.

Anyway, three business class seats on the Acela to NYC would have cost $456. (He probably returned alone.) From Union Station to Penn Station three hours. The total travel time on the Acela would be less than the $15,112.50 flight. Union Station is half as far from Mnushkin’s house as National airport, and Penn Station is 14 minutes by subway ($2.75) from Trump Tower, or a 34 minute walk for free. Obviously he would have hailed a cab for maybe $10. LaGuardia is about a 45 minute drive to Trump Tower or of course a lot longer given traffic.

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Supposedly, it’s his wife’s family that has the $$$$. As a Hollywood producer, he was used to flying private, but as a public servant, he has to follow rules. The Fed does allow other-than-coach options, but you need a decent excuse. That’s not a law, but government rules, which these assholes violate as often as they breathe. Even DeVos has suposedly been flying to Florida to work, then jump on her yacht.

Another question, why does tRump travel with his cabinet secretaries? They aren’t his entourage, they’re supposed to be working.

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PP’s reliving the HBO series The Entourage when just like the A-list star who had an entourage Mooch and company can assure him in face of all evidence to the contrary that he’s special and wonderful.

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O god - it’s true. {shudder}

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DeVos own her own planes. She shouldn’t be allowed to go anywhere, shouldn’t have been confirmed as Education Secy for that matter, but she’d be on a government plane seating chart if she didn’t have her own.

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Add id the time to go through security. That’s what I don’t understand about the anti-rail people. Amtrak is quicker from DC-NY than a fucking plane (when you consider door to door)

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One of the departed from the administration was booted for excessive flying costs.
That’s about 40 or 50 departed ago.

So, its not the waste that’s the problemo. More then likely its insufficient loyalty and speaking out of turn.

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No way Mnuchin would travel like the rest of us! But I was walking out of the Pentagon once going to the Metro and I passed ADM Mike Mullen-who was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs at the time-coming from the Metro by himself. No detail and obviously no motorcade. In uniform just working. And once I saw Leon Panetta while he was Sec Def sitting in traffic with everyone else–when he could’ve easily made everyone move out of the way. So it can be done. And Mike Dukakis rode the T as Gov! I think Panetta had some private jet travel issue or something as well.

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Geez, thanks…I just finished dinner.

What I want to know is there a running tally of all the wasteful use of taxpayer money all these tRump agency heads and tRump himself have used up to date. Its gotta be the GDP of a mid-size country by now. What’s most galling is that almost all of them are millionaires and billionaires that could use their own damn money, but instead are so full of avarice as to use other people’s money to do what should be public service. PAY US BACK!! They’re all like pigs at a trough.

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That’s why he’s so fiscally rich, he rips people off and tries to get someone else to pay for something every time he does something, and if he’s getting a salary to do it, well, that’s a bonus feature, not a bug.

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Joe Biden rode the train back and forth all those years, too.

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Private air travel is probably in the pre-nup

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In the late '80s, I often traveled to DC on business, and sometimes rode that route with Biden.

Once, on that same train, I was trapped next to Fred Barnes.

Nobody would switch seats, the dining car was closed, and the Gents was continually occupied.

There was no escape.

By the time we reached the Delaware border, I seriously contemplated leaping to my death from the carriage.

I still wake some nights, screaming, in a cold sweat.

You know that phrase, “The living will envy the dead”…?

(Shudder.)

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I have been in a situation before so deadly boring I wanted to chew off my own ears so I feel ya.

:joy:

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I’ll take it. I promise never to post any pic like that. Ever!

@rickjones

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But @tena, you’re forgetting something. Biden is a respectable person, And a Democrat, on top of that! Of course he took the train!

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Douchebag rich people are always trying to get stuff free or discounted; art of the deal, I guess. He’s rich…could he not pay or reimburse for his own transport and avoid this bad publicity? Business deduction?

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EEEWWW But you’re right

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You,could have nodded off while he was talking, although that probably still wouldn’t have stopped him. Maybe if you’d pretended to have a seizure they’d have moved you.

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