Secretary Sean Duffy’s participation in a reality show production called “The Great American Road Trip” over several months may have violated federal gift and travel rules, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General must investigate, according to a complaint sent today by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The venture was sponsored by numerous private companies regulated by the department, including Toyota, United Airlines, Boeing and other members of the transportation industry that are impacted or regulated by DOT.

According to an interview, Secretary Duffy spent parts of seven months on a road trip with his family to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, squeezing in time to do “some work” in his taxpayer funded job. The trip was filmed as part of an upcoming reality series called “The Great American Road Trip.” Despite indications that the road trip was an official endeavor by the Department of Transportation, a spokesperson for the agency stated that “[p]roduction costs were paid for by the Great American Road Trip, Inc,” a nonprofit led by a former transportation industry lobbyist and funded by companies regulated by the agency. At least three of those companies—United Airlines, Toyota and Boeing—were previously fined or audited by the agency, with a Toyota car prominently featured in the promotional video. The arrangement raises questions about whether Duffy’s official time is being used for public purposes, whether he accepted or solicited gifts from companies with businesses before the DOT, whether this constituted an appropriate use of government travel and whether private products were being promoted by the secretary.

“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,” said CREW President Donald K. Sherman. “The second Trump administration has not earned an ounce of trust when it comes to putting the public’s needs before the desires of corporations that are funding administration pet projects. 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.”

Secretary Duffy’s participation in this project may violate several ethics 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. Because federal officials’ travel must be paid for by taxpayer funds to ensure private interests are not driving government decisions, rules mandate that federal officials’ travel on agency aircraft generally must be for official purposes. The Standards of Ethical Conduct prohibit executive branch officials from using, or permitting the use of, their government position or title to imply that their agency or the government endorses their personal activities. Officials are also prohibited from using the authority of their position to endorse any product, service or enterprise.

“Government employees are responsible for protecting public trust by avoiding even the appearance of a conflict of interest. Secretary Duffy failed to do that in this instance,” said Sherman. “The office of the Inspector General must thoroughly investigate Secretary Duffy’s participation in this project.”

Read the complaint here.

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