Six Democratic senators on Monday asked the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General to investigate Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over a family vacation road trip that was filmed for a web video series and financed through a nonprofit funded by corporate donors whose businesses fall under the department's regulatory purview.
The request for a review was submitted by Senators Patty Murray, Elizabeth Warren, Tammy Duckworth, Ben Ray Lujan, Mazie Hirono and Richard Blumenthal. In their letter, the senators said Duffy’s actions raise "serious questions about use of funds and potential misconduct." The senators asked the inspector general to examine the video series and the circumstances around its production and funding.
The 24-day trip was shot for a web video series and included planned stops at a range of prominent locations. According to the senators' letter, the filmed itinerary encompassed a visit to the White House, a stop at Fenway Park in Boston, a visit to the Gateway Arch in St. Louis and additional sites in Philadelphia and Montana. The Department of Transportation has not yet released the video series to the public.
Funding for the trip was routed through a nonprofit organization that accepted contributions from several companies that are regulated by the Department of Transportation. Companies listed as contributors include Boeing, Toyota, United Airlines, Enterprise, Shell and Royal Caribbean Group.
A spokesperson for Secretary Duffy, Nate Sizemore, dismissed the senators' action as a politically motivated inquiry, calling it a "witch hunt." Sizemore also said that career ethics officials had reviewed and cleared every aspect of Duffy’s involvement in what has been described as the Great American Road Trip.
The senators’ request centers on whether the arrangement between the nonprofit, its corporate donors, and the production of the web series created conflicts or ran afoul of rules governing the use of funds by officials connected to the Department of Transportation. With the video series still unreleased, questions raised by the letter to the inspector general remain open pending any formal review or public disclosures.
Context and next steps
The senators have asked the Office of Inspector General to evaluate the materials and financial arrangements related to the road-trip series. The outcome of any review and whether the Department of Transportation or the nonprofit will provide additional documentation has not been reported.