The New York Times used Kathleen Clark, an attorney and law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, as an impartial authority on government ethics in government. The article suggested that while Clark's input was critical of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's involvement in a YouTube series titled "The Great American Road Trip," she claimed that since family members were not officially contracted to the DOT and were participating in the project, they were essentially receiving "gifts" from the series sponsors. Clark also served on the board of directors of American Oversight, Inc. which claims to be nonpartisan but has a clear bias against President Donald Trump. Clark's social media presence has been criticized for her criticism of President Trump and his allies, including Elon Musk and former President Richard Nixon.