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A nonprofit government watchdog organization has filed a formal complaint against Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Sean Duffy, alleging that a reality television show he and his family are taking part in likely violates federal ethics rules.
Duffy and his wife, Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, and their nine children, are starring in a series called “The Great American Road Trip” as part of the Trump administration’s celebration of the 250th birthday of the United States of America.
“The motto is: To love America is to see America. It’s more than a road trip. It’s a civic experience,” Duffy says in the trailer for the show.
The series is being financed by several transportation-related industries, including Toyota, United Airlines, Boeing, and others, that are regulated by the department, through a nonprofit organization called “The Great American Road Trip, Inc.” That organization is itself led by a former transportation industry lobbyist.
At least three companies that are sponsoring the seven-month road trip have been fined or audited by the DOT in the past.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has lodged a formal complaint against Duffy and the DOT, alleging that the privately financed show presents a deep conflict of interest, and may violate federal ethics standards, including gift and travel rules.
“The federal gift ban states that, except under a limited set of circumstances, no officer or employee of the executive shall solicit or accept anything of value from an entity involved with their agency,” a press release from CREW explained.
“As everyday Americans struggle with rising gas prices and raise concerns about airline safety, Secretary Duffy announced that he spent work time going on a trip apparently funded by the very industries his agency oversees,” CREW President Donald K. Sherman said in announcing the complaint.
The public deserves clarity on exactly how the funding for Secretary Duffy’s travel worked and assurance that the companies involved, including a foreign automaker, will not receive preferential treatment from the agency.
Duffy — a former reality show star, appearing on MTV programs such as “Real World” and “Road Rules” — also received criticism based on the fact that he and his family are taking a major road trip at a time when millions of Americans are struggling with higher costs, specifically higher gas prices.
“Americans are struggling to afford gas and groceries but these two reality tv and Fox News stars are treated to free trips with celebrity visits and a cruise,” read a complaint from a YouTube user responding to the show’s trailer. “Read the room, Mark and Marie Antoinette.”
Pete Buttigieg, Duffy’s predecessor at the DOT, also weighed in on the controversy.
“I love a good road trip, but this is brutally out of touch: a Trump Cabinet member making a documentary about himself while regular families can’t afford road trips anymore, because Trump and his war put gas prices through the roof,” Buttigieg said.
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