Treasury head Mnuchin, wife mocked for posing with dollars

Louise Linton, the wife of multi-millionaire Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, already had earned a reputation for being out of touch with regular Americans, thanks to posts about her couture outfits and ridiculing people with less wealth than her.

Now, photos of Mnuchin and Linton posing with a sheet of new $1 bills -- the first notes bearing his signature -- are prompting Internet users to mock the pair as out-of-touch plutocrats. Some critics noted the photos are particularly tone-deaf as the Republicans try to pass legislation to reform the tax code, which Democrats and tax experts say will benefit corporations and the rich over the middle class.

The Associated Press photo shows Mnuchin holding the sheet of money as his wife Louise Linton stands behind him, her gloved hands touching a corner.

"Maybe not the best photo on the eve of vote on a tax bill that's being attacked for favoring the wealthy?" wrote conservative commentator Bill Kristol on Twitter.

Some remarked that the pair resembled villains from the James Bond movie franchise. Others used the image to mock the Republican tax plan, which critics say would mostly benefit high earners and corporations.

Many of the quips were directed at Linton's clothing, including her gloves and all-black outfit, which some compared to the costume worn by "Star Wars" villain Kylo Ren.

The pair prompted a public outcry this summer after revelations he requested a military jet to fly them to their European honeymoon. It never happened, but the department launched a review of Mnuchin's use of government aircraft.

Linton apologized earlier this year after she lashed out over criticism over an Instagram photo of herself disembarking from a government plane, which was accompanied by a number of hashtags describing her all-white outfit, such as #hermesscarf.

One commenter on Instagram wrote, "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable."

Linton responded with a lengthy and condescending reply, comparing the amount of taxes she and her husband paid to what she imagined her critic had contributed.

"Have you given more to the economy than me and my husband? Either as an individual earner in taxes OR in self sacrifice to your country? I'm pretty sure we paid more taxed toward our day 'trip' than you did," Linton wrote. She also called the woman "adorably out of touch."

In:
• Steve Mnuchin
• United States Department of the Treasury