Media pounce over 'out of touch' comment from Mnuchin's wife — but ignore remark by Dem senator

The media on Tuesday blasted the wife of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's wife, Louise Linton, for flaunting her wealth in a recent Instagram post, but many reporters and anchors failed to acknowledge a similarly "out of touch" comment by Missouri Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.

As TheBlaze reported earlier, Linton posted an image to Instagram on Monday of her and her husband deplaning a taxpayer-funded jet. Linton, an actress, was seen in the photo sporting a number of different expensive designer brands. One social media user, though, went after Linton.

“Glad we could pay for your little getaway. #deplorable,” 45-year-old Emily Miller, a mother of three from Oregon, wrote.

Then, in keeping with the brash nature of President Donald Trump's administration, Linton fired back her defense.

“Aw!!! Did you think this was a personal trip?! Adorable!” Linton responded.

“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," Linton wrote.

The media pounced on Linton's reply, portraying it as an "out of touch" "rant" or "tirade."

CNN's John Berman called it a "tough look" for Linton and the Trump administration, especially as the president and his Cabinet are some of the wealthiest individuals to hold those positions in American history. CNN commentator and White House correspondent for Urban Radio Networks, April Ryan, piled on.

"When you are a public servant, and even if you’re married to a public servant, you have to remember service is about the people," Ryan said. "Many of the people that you’re serving can’t afford a Birkin bag that’s at least $10,000, or a beautiful scarf by whatever designer it was.

“You have to remember many of the people your husband is serving can just barely make it there, trying to make ends meet, unemployed, underemployed or just making it. You have to be very careful how you flash your wealth and flash your status, particularly as you are serving people," Ryan added.

The New York Times blasted Linton for "belittl[ing] a woman for having less money than she does."

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough suggested in a tweet that Linton exemplified the definition of a "vulgarian."

"If you ever wanted to explain the definition of 'vulgarian,' this would be a good place to start," Scarborough tweeted, along with a link to the New York Times article.

If you ever wanted to explain the definition of "vulgarian," this would be a good place to start. https://t.co/oHzlkAlLuG

— Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) August 22, 2017

But while the media became hysterical over a Republican administration official's wife flaunting her wealth, it paid very little attention to an equally outrageous, if not even more "out of touch" remark made a sitting Democratic senator just hours before.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said during a recent town hall in Kennett, Missouri, that "normal people" can afford to fly private planes.

McCaskill made the comment in response to a man who said at the event, "That's one thing that the United States has that nobody else has is the freedom to fly around and be affordable where a normal person can afford it."

McCaskill replied, "Will you remind that when they come after me for my husband's plane? That normal people can afford it?"

The Democratic senator, who faces a tough re-election bid in 2018, was referring to criticism over her husband owning a small aircraft, which the Washington Examiner estimated sells for around $2 million. McCaskill is married to St. Louis businessman Joe Shepard.

During her 2012 U.S. Senate campaign, McCaskill took heat for saying that she "convinced my husband to sell the damn plane."

"I will never set foot on the plane again," McCaskill vowed at the time.

McCaskill and her husband sold the aircraft at a $200,000 loss, Politico reported. That's four times more than the average income in Missouri, according to the Examiner.

The media's coverage of this exchange between McCaskill and a Missouri voter, however, was virtually non-existent.

The GOP rapid response team sent out an email notification to reporters, but, as of Tuesday, only the Washington Examiner had run the story.

The silence is deafening

This is exactly what conservatives mean when they repeatedly point to the mainstream media's liberal bias.

Major outlets like CNN, the New York Times and the Washington Post didn't just get a bad rap among conservatives because of catchy labels coined by President Donald Trump. These once-great beacons of journalism earned their reputations, paving the way for outlets like TheBlaze to call out the blatant hypocrisy.

Many in the mainstream media don't seem to understand that it's not just what the media do say that exposes their bias. It's what they won't say.