Steve Mnuchin raked over the coals for deeming info on $500 billion bailout 'confidential'

Esquire columnist Charles Pierce on Friday raked Trump Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin over the coals for refusing to disclose who is receiving funds from a $500 billion corporate bailout.

Pierce cites a Politico report from Thursday that claims "the Trump administration is signaling that it won’t disclose the recipients of more than $500 billion in bailout money delivered to 4.5 million businesses" through the Paycheck Protection Program passed earlier this year.

Pierce particularly zeroes in on Mnuchin's reported justification for keeping the information secret by claiming it is "proprietary" and "confidential."

"'Proprietary information'? Does Mnuchin think that the 500-bil is some sort of widget that the Treasury Department invented?" Pierce asks incredulously. "In one sense, of course, the money is 'proprietary information' and we’re the damn proprietors. It’s our damn money. And it went to 4.5 million businesses, and we’re not entitled to know who they are?"

Pierce also notes that the Trump administration earlier this year pledged it would be transparent in who is receiving bailout funds during negotiations to get the funding secured.

"It’s going to take decades to fumigate democracy," the Esquire columnist concludes.