Steve Mnuchin's wife responds to Instagram critic, touts 'sacrifice'

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Louise Linton, the wife of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, described an Instagram critic as "adorably out of touch" after her target commented on an Instagram post in which Linton depicted her designer-label outfit.

Linton posted the picture of herself Monday getting off a government plane in Kentucky with Mnuchin. In her post, she mentioned several designer labels for her all-white outfit, including Tom Ford and Valentino.

The commenter responded: "Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable."

Linton, an actress, responded on Instagram by calling the commenter "adorably out of touch." She suggested she and Mnuchin, a former Goldman Sachs executive and hedge fund investor, contributed more to the U.S. economy and paid more in taxes than her critic.

"Pretty sure the amount we sacrifice per year is a lot more than you'd be willing to sacrifice if the choice was yours," Linton added.

She went on to call the commenter's response "passive aggressive" and "nasty" before ending her retort with a suggestion that the critic, "go chill out and watch the new game of thrones."

Linton's Instagram account is private, but a screengrab of her response has circulated online.

Linton later apologized for her retort.

"I apologize for my post on social media yesterday as well as my response. It was inappropriate and highly insensitive," Linton said in a statement.

Mnuchin was visiting Kentucky Monday for an appearance with Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and a tour of Fort Knox.

The Scottish-born Linton apologized last year amid criticism of a self-published memoir of a year she spent in Africa as a teen, and withdrew the book. Critics deemed it inaccurate in its depiction of life on the continent. An excerpt was published online by The Telegraph, but taken down by the British newspaper "in light of the concerns raised by readers."

Linton has also had small roles in films and television shows and more recently worked as a producer. Mnuchin produced several films before being tapped for the Treasury post by President Donald Trump. The pair married in June in a ceremony attended by the president.

Here is the full text of her post:

"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 or 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, one filled with wisdom and humanity would get more traction. Have a pleasant evening. Go chill out and watch the new game of thrones. It's fab!"

Report a typo to the ABC13 staff