The wives of Treasury Secretaries aren't usually well-known players in Washington—let alone on the national stage—but in this regard, as in so many others, the current presidential administration is different. Trump's millionaire treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin is married to Louis Linton, a polarizing figure who has made headlines more than a few times in recent months.
This week, Linton found herself caught in the Twitter crosshairs over a series of pictures from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. She and her husband were there to celebrate the first currency notes bearing Mnuchin's signature, and photos were taken of the couple holding the sheets of bills. The jokes were swift, and likened the couple to everyone from Bond villains to Boris and Natasha.
See a select few below:
This is hardly the first time Linton has drawn criticism.
Mnuchin requested the use of a government jet for their honeymoon.
Earlier this summer, Mnuchin reportedly requested the use of a government jet for his European honeymoon. According to ABC News, which first reported on the request, "officials familiar with the matter say the highly unusual ask for a U.S. Air Force jet, which according to an Air Force spokesman could cost roughly $25,000 per hour to operate, was put in writing by the secretary's office."
The request is particularly noteworthy because Linton had previously mentioned this honeymoon in a controversial comment on her Instagram account.
The Instagram controversy
The trouble all started when Linton posted a now-deleted image to Instagram, tagged several luxury brands, fashion-influencer style. Her caption read: “Great #daytrip to #Kentucky! #nicest #people #beautiful #countryside #rolandmouret pants #tomford sunnies, #hermesscarf #valentinorockstudheels #valentino #usa”
Commenter @Jennimiller29 was quick with a response to the image, writing "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable." That's when Linton got heated. According to a screenshot taken by journalist Yashar Ali, she responded:
@Jennimiller29 cute!....Aw!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable! Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol. 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 taxes toward our day “trip” than you did. Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you’d be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours. You’re adorably out of touch. Thanks for the passive aggressive nasty comment. Your kids look very cute. Your life looks cute. I know you’re mad but deep down you’re really nice and so am I. Sending me passive aggressive Instagram comments isn’t going to make life feel better. Maybe a nice message, one filled with wisdom and hunanity would get more traction. Have a pleasant evening. Go chill out and watch the new game of thrones. It’s fab!
When the New York Times reached out to the Treasury Department about the matter, they declined to comment. The Department did say that "the Mnuchins reimbursed the government for the trip, and that Ms. Linton was not compensated by any of the labels she promoted with hashtags."
Valentino and Tom Ford have both denied having a relationship with Linton and a spokesperson for Valentino told WWD, “Louise Linton did not receive any gifted merchandise, compensation or loans from Valentino.”
After a period of silence, Linton finally spoke out about the Instagram post that put her in the national spotlight. “I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive,” she said via email in a statement to T&C.;
Linton is a Scottish Actress
Linton, who is a Scottish actress and model, grew up in a castle in Dalkeith, Scotland—which she says was “definitely haunted,” perhaps by Mary Queen of Scots—and has had small roles in a handful of films, including Lions for Lambs and Intruder. Her acting credits also include one episode of CSI: New York (in 2007) and an episode of Cold Case in 2009.
Linton and Mnuchin, whose net worth Forbes estimates at $300 million, reportedly met through mutual friends, and were married in June in a ceremony just a few blocks from the White House. The ceremony was officiated by Vice President Mike Pence, and several members of the Trump administration were in attendance.
She wrote a controversial book
In 2016, Linton released a memoir about taking a gap year in Zambia at the age 18, before coming to the United States for college (she graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University and then a law degree from University of West Los Angeles School of Law).
Linton's novel—In Congo’s Shadow: One Girl’s Perilous Journey to the Heart of Africa—might be described as a cross between Wild, Heart of Darkness, and The English Patient. The fiction references aren’t unintentional. Some have accused her of fabricating parts of it, including details about how she escaped attacks by Congolese rebels. When an excerpt of the book entitled “How my dream gap year in Africa turned into a nightmare” was published in The Daily Telegraph, a firestorm ensued.
“Louise Linton, an actress and producer, just may have written the defining work of the White-Savior-in-Africa genre for the digital age,” Karen Attiah, the Washington Post’s global opinions editor, wrote in a searing takedown. Others accused Linton, who describes herself in the book as a “skinny white muzungu with long angel hair,” of espousing neo-colonial ideas.
By 2017, Linton had gotten into producing films, a specialty of her husband's, who worked at Goldman Sachs before he entered the movie business but this soon lead to a new breed of scandal. In early May, Linton announced on her Facebook page that she would become the new CEO of Dune Entertainment, a production and financing company of which her husband had previously been CEO.
Mnuchin had divested from the business when he became Treasury Secretary to avoid any ethical conflicts, but the appointment of his soon-to-be wife was seen as a conflict as well. Linton eventually agreed to step down after Democratic Senator Ron Wyden publically questioned the matter.
Matthew Kassel has written for The New York Times Magazine and The Wall Street Journal.
As the digital director for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann covers culture, entertainment, and a range of other subjects
