Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg criticized his successor Sean Duffy on Sunday over a reality-style travel series filmed while Duffy leads the agency, calling the project an embarrassment as Americans face high fuel costs.
Buttigieg Says Road Trip Misses Moment
“I love road trips. I love America. I actually took a taxpayer-funded road trip lasting about seven months. It was in Afghanistan. This is something very different,” Buttigieg told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union,” referring to his military service.
Buttigieg said the issue was not patriotism, but Duffy promoting a road trip he described as fitting “any budget” when many Americans are struggling with higher diesel and gasoline prices linked to the Iran war and the Trump administration. He said celebrating a road trip while traveling has become less affordable is “exactly what people are so frustrated about.”
The current national average for a gallon of regular gasoline in the United States stands at $4.513, according to AAA data at the time of writing, with California leading the country at $6.143, followed closely by Washington and Hawaii.
Duffy Family Defends Travel Series
The five-part YouTube series, “The Great American Road Trip,” follows Duffy, his wife, Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, and their children on a months-long journey across the country tied to America’s 250th anniversary. Duffy said last weekend that Great American Road Trip Inc. paid the production costs, not taxpayers, and that ethics and budget officials approved his participation and travel.
Rachel Campos-Duffy also defended her husband last week after a nonpartisan nonprofit government watchdog, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, asked the Transportation Department inspector general to investigate. “I don’t think anybody can accuse my husband of not having done his job well,” she said, adding, “My husband is not a corrupt man.” CREW said in its complaint that the project may have violated federal gift and travel rules because companies regulated by the Transportation Department sponsored the show.
Benzinga reached out to the Department of Transportation for comment, but did not receive a response at the time of writing.
The reality-TV styled show has also received criticism from the likes of California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and economist Robert Reich for its poor timing.
Sponsorship Questions Add Ethics Scrutiny
Duffy has rejected criticism, saying private backers funded the show and his family filmed it in short production windows. He has also accused Democrats of attacking a patriotic project. Over the past week, he has openly criticized Buttigieg’s tenure on social media, calling his Biden-era predecessor a “sloth” and claiming the Trump administration has moved faster on Transportation Department priorities.
Meanwhile, Politico reported on Saturday that an unnamed travel company declined to sponsor the project over concerns that the arrangement resembled “paying for access” to a sitting Cabinet secretary.
Photo Courtesy: Rich Koele on Shutterstock.com
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