WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday it was important to maintain a strong dollar in the long term, adding that President-elect Donald Trump’s recent comments that the currency was too strong were focused on short-term impacts. “When the president-elect made a comment on the U.S. currency, it wasn’t meant to be a long-term comment,” Mnuchin said in a confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. Mnuchin, a Wall Street veteran, added that Trump’s comments that the dollar was too strong were focused on short-term market factors that had pushed the greenback higher, hurting U.S. exports. “The long-term strength over long periods of time is important” for the dollar, Mnuchin said. 