A company that was asked to sponsor Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s new reality show did not get involved in the project amid apparent ethical concerns, according to a new report.
Duffy and his family are set to star in The Great American Road Trip, a five-part reality show that will be released on YouTube for free next month as part of celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary. The project has already drawn criticism from some nonprofit groups and Democratic politicians.
The show’s production costs were paid for by Great American Road Trip Inc., a nonprofit group run by Tori Barnes, who once worked as a lobbyist for the U.S. Travel Association. Several top corporations, including Toyota and Boeing, have also sponsored the project, according to the nonprofit’s website.
But one company declined to sponsor the project after it was approached by Barnes’ group, Politico reports. The outlet, which did not identify the company, cited an unnamed source who said there were ethical concerns about the proposal.
“You’re paying for access through Tori’s group. This is a little too cute,” the source said.
When reached for comment, Barnes told The Independent: “The source is anonymous because it’s a lie.”
“There are dozens of people that the Secretary met with out on the road: port directors, small business owners in every destination, transportation experts, aquariums, destination leaders and many more that are not paying partners,” Barnes said.
“Secretary Duffy is the most accessible Secretary we have ever seen, just in the past few weeks he did an event with Amtrak, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and many more that one can see through X and Instagram posts: None of them are [Great American Road Trip] partners,” she added.
The Transportation Department has said Barnes’ nonprofit paid for the show’s production costs.
“The Secretary’s participation in the Great American Roadtrip was approved by USDOT career ethic attorneys. No taxpayer dollars were used for production costs nor did the family receive any compensation for their participation,” a Transportation Department spokesperson said in a statement shared with The Independent.
“Celebrating America’s 250th is part of the Secretary’s official duties and the series will showcase America’s roads, landmarks, infrastructure, and people,” the spokesperson added.
The project has already drawn scrutiny, including from the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which has asked the Transportation Department’s inspector general to investigate whether Duffy violated federal gift and travel rules.
Duffy railed against the “radical, miserable left” after the show’s trailer was met with criticism last week.
“They’re upset because they don’t want you to celebrate America! And they definitely don’t want you to teach your kids civics & patriotism. So they tell lies to undermine the mission,” he wrote on X.
The project is driven by “three key pillars,” Barnes told The Independent earlier this week.
“The Great American Road Trip Inc. is an independent non-profit with three key pillars: 1. To celebrate America’s 250th birthday; 2. To promote travel and tourism and; 3. To bring a focus [to] the transportation, infrastructure and ingenuity that built America over the past 250 years and will build America over the next 250 years,” she said.
“We are supported by partners who share these goals and believe in encouraging Americans to rediscover the people, places, and experiences that define our country,” she added.
