After 40 years, Fort Knox opens famed vault to civilians
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Inside the famed vaults at Fort Knox, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell held a 27-pound gold bar in his hands Monday as part of the first civilian delegation to see most of the country’s bullion reserves in more than 40 years.
But being surrounded by more than $186 billion worth of gold was no sweat for one of the country’s most powerful politicians
“It’s not even the annual funding level for some of our large departments in the federal government,” he said.
McConnell was part of a delegation of Kentucky politicians allowed inside the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox for the first time since 1974. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin initiated the visit, along with U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie and Gov. Matt Bevin.