Senator seeks ethics probe of Mnuchin's
'Lego Batman' comment
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[March 28, 2017]
By David Lawder
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top Democrat on
the Senate Finance Committee asked the government ethics watchdog on
Monday to review comments by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plugging
"The Lego Batman Movie," a film one of his companies produced, for a
possible ethics violation.
In a letter to Office of Government Ethics Director Walter Shaub,
Senator Ron Wyden said he was concerned that Mnuchin had violated his
ethics agreement signed in January in his comments on Friday at the end
of a live interview with the Axios news website.
Mnuchin had agreed to divest his interests in Ratpac-Dune Entertainment
Holdings LLC within 120 days of his confirmation, and "not participate
personally and substantially in any matter that has a direct and
predictable effect on the financial interests of the entity" unless
first obtaining a waiver.
RatPac-Dune, co-founded by Mnuchin with producer-director Brett Rattner
and media billionaire James Packer, has produced and financed a number
of Hollywood hits in recent years, including "Avatar," "Mad Max: Fury
Road" and "The Lego Batman Movie."
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At the Axios event, Mnuchin was asked in a question from a reader for a
movie recommendation.
"I'm not allowed to promote anything that I'm involved in. So I just
want to have the legal disclosure, you've asked me the question, and I
am not promoting any product," Mnuchin said. "But you should send all
your kids to 'Lego Batman.'"
The comment drew laughter from the audience at the Washington event.
Wyden said the Finance Committee had received no notifications regarding
Mnuchin's holdings in RatPac-Dune and assumed the Treasury chief still
held that interest.
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![](../images/032817pics/news_v39.jpg)
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks at a press briefing at the
White House. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
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"I am concerned that Sec. Mnuchin’s comments, may be seen to have a
predictable effect on the financial interests" of RatPac-Dune, Wyden
said in his letter.
In a statement, a Treasury spokesman said: "As his statement reflects,
the Secretary clearly recognized that he generally may not promote
private interests and specifically gave the legal disclosure that he was
not promoting a movie, but answering a question he was asked directly."
The OGE recommended last month that the White House should consider
disciplinary action against President Donald Trump's adviser Kellyanne
Conway for her on-air comment on Fox News Channel promoting the clothing
and jewelry line of Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump. Conway said people
"should go buy Ivanka's stuff."
The White House later told the ethics watchdog that Conway had acted
"inadvertently" and without "nefarious motive or intent to benefit
personally."
(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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