Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s wife Louise Linton said Tuesday that her headline-grabbing Instagram post and subsequent response to commenters’ criticisms was “indefensible” and “condescending.”
“My post itself and the following comments were completely indefensible. Period. I don’t have any excuses, nor do I feel any self-pity for the backlash I experienced,” Linton said in the Washington Life interview, conducted days after the infamous Instagram post.
“I sincerely take ownership of my mistake. It’s clear that I was the one who was truly out of touch and my response was reactionary and condescending. I wish I hadn’t spoken in such a patronizing tone,” Linton said.
The Scottish-born actress lashed out at an Instagram commenter after receiving criticism for an Aug. 22 post, in which she flaunted her pricey wardrobe with a number of designer brand hashtags after returning from a government trip to Kentucky with her husband.
“Glad we could pay for your little get away #deplorable,” a user commented.
Louise Linton, wife of US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, just turned her Instagram private after posting this (h/t @skenigsberg) pic.twitter.com/beakVnAhhu
— Margarita Noriega (@margarita) August 22, 2017
Linton responded aggressively to the disgruntled user, quickly escalating the conflict into a competition over economic productivity:
“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 [sic], one filled with wisdom and hunanity [sic] would get more traction. Have a pleasant evening. Go chill out and watch the new game of thrones. It’s fab!”
Linton said in the interview that the Instagram post and subsequent response to comments does not reflect who she really is, and that she very much regrets trying to project a glamorous public image.
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