Mnuchin Upset At Trump Over Charlottesville — But Stays Silent

Steve Mnuchin Image by Getty Images

By Nathan Guttman August 17, 2017

Two Jewish advisers stood next to President Trump when he delivered his comments comparing neo-Nazis to those who protested against them. And while Gary Cohn, Trump’s top economic adviser, has made his fury known, at least in inner circles, press reports indicate that Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, while quieter on the issue, was also not pleased.

Bloomberg has reported that Mnuchin told his top staffers that he does not agree with President Trump’s view of the Charlottesville events and with his remarks regarding the protesters.

Mnuchin team was advised that the secretary had no idea Trump plans to use the event, initially scheduled to discuss infrastructure reform, to address the Charlottesville events. But, they were also told that now it is time to move on and to “look beyond the chaos of the past several days and instead focus on advancing Trump’s economic agenda.”

Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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