US treasury secretary's wife apologizes for rant

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‍The wife of US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Tuesday apologized for sniping at a critic on social media site Instagram who called her "deplorable" for a post highlighting her expensive clothing as she exited a government plane.

Screenshot of Louise Linton Instagram account

The flap erupted after Mnuchin's wife, Scottish-born actress Louise Linton, posted a photo of herself emerging from the aircraft wearing a white outfit and sunglasses, using the hashtags "#tomford," "#hermesscarf" and "#valentino," according to images of the Monday evening post on social media.

In her initially vitriolic response to the "deplorable" criticism, Linton had lashed out about how much she and her husband contribute to the economy and pay in taxes.

On Tuesday, she scrolled back.

US Treasury Secretary nominee Stephen Mnuchin and fiancee Louise Linton arrive for the Presidential Inauguration of Donald Trump on January 20, 2017, Washington, DC. /AFP Photo

"I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive," Linton said in a statement released through a publicist.

Jenni Miller, who identified herself as a mother of three from Portland, Oregon, had said of Linton's original post on Instagram: "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable."

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had used such a term during her unsuccessful presidential run, saying that some of Republican candidate Donald Trump's supporters were a "basket of deplorables."

Inside the extravagant wedding of billionaire Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and actress Louise Linton. /CNN Photo

Linton shot back at Miller.

"Do you think the US govt paid for our honeymoon or personal travel?! Lololol," she said, according to images of the response posted online. "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."

The US Treasury did not respond to requests for comment.

The high-end fashions Linton called out in her post carry hefty price tags, with Hermes scarves retailing from 300 US dollars to more than 2,300 US dollars.

US Vice President Mike Pence (R) administers the oath of office to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (L) watched by Mnuchin's fiancee Louise Linton in the Oval Office of the White House on February 13, 2017, in Washington, DC. /AFP Photo

Mnuchin is a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) executive and Hollywood film financier.

Linton had been at the center of controversy before. Last year she withdrew a self-published book in which she claimed to have been caught up in violence in Zambia. African leaders and aid workers said the book was filled with factual errors.

Trump ran on a populist campaign platform, vowing to improve the lives of working Americans and has surrounded himself with a cabinet heavy on corporate titans, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a former chief executive of Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N), and financier Wilbur Ross, now the commerce secretary.

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Source(s): Reuters