Treasury secretary apologizes for 'Lego Batman' plug

U.S. Department of the Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has apologized for plugging "The Lego Batman Movie" in a recent interview.

"I'm not allowed to promote anything that I'm involved in. So I want to have that legal disclosure," Mnuchin told Axios last week. "You've asked me a question and I'm not promoting any product. But you should all send your kids to 'Lego Batman.'"

Mnuchin's RatPac-Dune Entertainment financed the film. His comments caused backlash from ethics critics and Democrats.

In a letter to Walter Shaub at the Office of Government Ethics, Mnuchin said he "should not have made that statement" and assured the OGE that "it was not my intention to make a product endorsement."

"I take very seriously my ethical responsibilities," Mnuchin's said, noting he will "exercise greater caution to avoid any suggestion that I do not take these important rules seriously."

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