Updated · Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington · May 11
CREW Seeks Probe of Sean Duffy's 7-Month Reality Trip Funded by DOT-Regulated Companies
Updated
Updated · Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington · May 11
CREW Seeks Probe of Sean Duffy's 7-Month Reality Trip Funded by DOT-Regulated Companies
11 articles · Updated · Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington · May 11
A complaint filed May 11 asks the Transportation Department’s inspector general to investigate whether Sean Duffy broke federal ethics, gift and travel rules through his role in “The Great American Road Trip.”
Seven months of travel with Duffy’s family were filmed for the series, while he said he still did “some work”; production costs were paid by a nonprofit backed by companies regulated by DOT.
Toyota, United Airlines and Boeing were among the sponsors, and CREW said at least three had previously been fined or audited by the department, raising conflict-of-interest and preferential-treatment concerns.
The complaint argues the arrangement may have used official time and government position to benefit a private enterprise, while ethics rules bar officials from accepting covered gifts or implying agency endorsement.
The filing adds pressure on the Trump administration to disclose how the trip was funded and whether any official travel or promotional activity served private industry interests.
How do corporate donations to his son-in-law's campaign complicate the Secretary's ethics investigation?
Did internal ethics officers properly vet a TV show funded by companies their department oversees?
When regulated companies fund an official's TV show, where is the line between public service and private gain?