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Mnuchin's use of the plane at taxpayers' expense prompted an
outcry from Democratic lawmakers and interest groups and spurred
a government watchdog to begin examining whether it violated
travel or ethics policies.
"It was approved by the White House and there were reasons why
we needed to use that plane that are completely justifiable," he
said on NBC's "Meet the Press" program.
Cabinet members rarely use government planes or chartered
aircraft for domestic travel, but the practice has received
significant attention in the wake of Mnuchin's trip. On Friday,
former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price resigned
after an outcry over his use of private charter planes for
government business at a cost of nearly $52,000.
Mnuchin told NBC that he would only use a private plane for
government purposes "if either there was a national security
issue or we couldn't get somewhere."
The Treasury Department has described Mnuchin's trip in August
as official government travel. Mnuchin spoke to business leaders
in Louisville and visited Fort Knox, the site of significant
U.S. gold reserves.
Mnuchin and his wife, Louise Linton, also viewed the Aug. 21
solar eclipse in Kentucky with Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell and others.
Public uproar over the trip began to mount after Linton posted a
photo of herself deboarding the plane on social media and listed
the expensive designer brands she was wearing in the caption.
(Reporting by Julia Harte; Editing by Paul Simao)
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