Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he didn't intend to promote a movie his company produced in an interview with Axios. | Getty Mnuchin to ethics office: I’ll exercise ‘greater caution’ after ‘Lego Batman’ remark

Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin told the Office of Government Ethics on Friday that he did not intend to promote “The Lego Batman Movie” when he recommended it during an interview last week.

“Although I included a disclaimer indicating that it was not my intention to promote any product, I ended my response to that light-hearted question with words that could reasonably have been interpreted to encourage the questioner to see a film with which I was associated,” Mnuchin wrote. “I should not have made that statement.”


At an event hosted by Axios on March 24, Mnuchin was asked for movie recommendations. He responded by suggesting "Lego Batman," a movie he produced.

“I'm not allowed to promote anything that I'm involved in,” Mnuchin said during the interview. “So I just want to have the legal disclosure, you've asked me the question, and I am not promoting any product. But you should send all your kids to 'Lego Batman.'”

Mnuchin’s remark had aggravated ethics experts already worried about the Trump administration's adherence to the rules. But on Friday, Walter Shaub, the director of the Office of Government Ethics, said Mnuchin appeared serious about following the ethics rules in the future.

Mnuchin's initial comment was quickly compared to Kellyanne Conway’s statement last month encouraging people to buy Ivanka Trump products after the line was dropped by Nordstrom. Executive branch employees are not allowed to endorse products or companies. Despite concerns raised by Shaub, Conway was not disciplined for her statement.

Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, said in a letter to Shaub that Mnuchin may have violated an ethics pledge he signed by endorsing the movie.

The Treasury secretary co-founded Ratpac-Dune Entertainment Holdings LLC, which has produced movies such as “Avatar” and “Mad Max: Fury Road.”



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Shaub responded to Wyden on Friday, saying Mnuchin's response to the controversy showed he was serious about the ethics rules as he acknowledged responsibility and promised not to make the mistake again.

"The primary purpose of disciplinary action is to deter future misconduct, both on the part of an individual employee and on the part of others," Shaub wrote. "Secretary Mnuchin's enclosed letter appears to achieve that purpose."

Shaub said the ethics office would seek further action if Mnuchin failed to honor his pledge. Mnuchin had pointed out in his own letter to Shaub that he had refused to answer a similar question the day after the Axios event.

“I want to reassure you that I will exercise greater caution to avoid any suggestion that I do not take these important rules seriously,” Mnuchin wrote.