Latest Update

On September 4, 2018, the case closed.

Update

On March 15, 2018, CREW received records which, though heavily redacted, showed that Mnuchin apparently abused his access to military and non-commercial aircraft for both business travel and occasional personal travel. Review the records here, here and here.

Read our analysis of the records

CREW filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of the Treasury on September 11, 2017 following the Treasury’s failure to respond to CREW’s Freedom of Information (FOIA) request for records related to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s use of a government plane to travel with his wife, Louise Linton, to Lexington, Kentucky. On August 23, CREW filed a FOIA request for records concerning travel to Kentucky after it was reported that Secretary Mnuchin and Linton “headed to Fort Knox…to tour the bullion reserve at the Army post and view the eclipse.”

CREW’s request sought to shed light on the justification of Secretary Mnuchin’s use of a government plane, rather than a commercial flight, for a trip that seems to have been planned around the solar eclipse and to enable the Secretary to secure a viewpoint closer to the path of the eclipse’s totality, which lay just outside of Fort Knox. At a time of expected deep cuts to the federal budget, U.S. taxpayers have a significant interest in learning the extent to which Secretary Mnuchin has used government planes for personal travel.

CREW sought expedition of its request because of widespread media interest and because the requested information involves possible questions of the government’s integrity that affect public confidence. The American public will bear the brunt of the tax policy Secretary Mnuchin is spearheading, and therefore has a need for information about the policy’s co-architect. CREW has not received any response – not even an acknowledgment – from the Treasury Department to its request for expedition, or to the FOIA request itself, despite the FOIA’s requirement that agencies make a determination whether to grant a request for expedition within ten calendar days of its receipt.

Lawsuit Documents

  • Complaint
    September 11, 2017
    Read here
  • Treasury's Response To Complaint
    October 19, 2017
    Read here
  • CREW's Motion for Preliminary Injunction
    October 26, 2017
    Read here
  • Memo For Motion For a Preliminary Injunction
    October 26, 2017 - Memorandum In Support of Motion For a Preliminary Injunction
    Read here
  • Exhibit A For Motion for Preliminary Injunction
    October. 26, 2017
    Read here
  • Defendant's Opposition To Preliminary Injunction
    November 2, 2017 - Defendant's Opposition To The Motion For Preliminary Injunction
    Read here
  • Exhibit A For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff
    November 2, 2017 - Exhibit A For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff's Motion For Preliminary Injunction
    Read here
  • Exhibit B For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff
    November 2, 2017 - Exhibit B For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff's Motion For Preliminary Injunction
    Read here
  • Exhibit C For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff
    November 2, 2017 - Exhibit C For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff's Motion For Preliminary Injunction
    Read here
  • Exhibit D For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff
    November 2, 2017 - Exhibit D For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff's Motion For Preliminary Injunction
    Read here
  • Exhibit E For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff
    November 2, 2017 - Exhibit E For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff's Motion For Preliminary Injunction
    Read here
  • Exhibit F For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff
    November 2, 2017 - Exhibit F For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff's Motion For Preliminary Injunction
    Read here
  • Exhibit G For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff
    November 2, 2017 - Exhibit G For Defendant's Opposition To Plaintiff's Motion For Preliminary Injunction
    Read here
  • Order Denying Plaintiff's Preliminary Injunction
    November 2, 2017 - Order - Plaintiff's Motion For Preliminary Injunction is Denied
    Read here
  • CREW Reply In Support of Preliminary Injunction
    November 7, 2017 - CREW Reply In Support of Motion For A Preliminary Injunction
    Read here
  • Order Denying Plaintiff's Preliminary Injunction
    November 20, 2017 - Order - Plaintiff's Motion For Preliminary Injunction Denied As Moot
    Read here
  • Joint Status Report
    December 15, 2017
    Read here
  • Order
    December 12, 2017
    Read here
  • Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgement
    July 2, 2018
    Read here
  • Memorandum of Points & Authorities
    July 2, 2018 - Memorandum of Points & Authorities in Support of Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgement
    Read here
  • Exhibit A - Plaintiff Motion for Summary Judgement
    July 2, 2018 - Exhibit A - Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgement
    Read here
  • Exhibit B - Plaintiff Motion for Summary Judgement
    July 2, 2018 - Exhibit B - Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgement
    Read here
  • Exhibit C - Plaintiff Motion for Summary Judgement
    July 2, 2018 - Exhibit C - Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgement
    Read here
  • Exhibit D - Plaintiff Motion for Summary Judgement
    July 2, 2018 - Exhibit D - Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgement
    Read here
  • Exhibit E - Plaintiff Motion for Summary Judgement
    July 2, 2018 - Exhibit E - Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgement
    Read here
  • Exhibit F - Plaintiff Motion for Summary Judgement
    July 2, 2018 - Exhibit F - Plaintiff's Motion for Summary Judgement
    Read here
  • Plaintiff's Statement of Facts Not in Dispute
    July 2, 2018 - Plaintiff's Statement of Material Facts Not in Dispute
    Read here
  • Joint Stipulation of Dismissal
    September 4, 2018
    Read here

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