President Donald Trump appointed Sam Clovis, who served as national chair of his 2016 presidential campaign and as a White House adviser to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in July 2017 to be undersecretary for research, education, and agriculture to the USDA.
The Union of Concerned Scientists wrote a letter that said Clovis, a climate change denier, was an “unacceptable and illegal” choice for the position, which, the letter said, required that the position be selecting from among “distinguished scientists with special training or experience in agricultural research, education and economics.”
https://www.ucsusa.org/about/news/president-trump-illegally-nominates-non-scientist#.WXOKp9PyvUI
Clovis acknowledged he lacked a background in science or agriculture.
But he bore a resemblance to a Guernsey cow and had once hosted a conservative talk radio show in Iowa, which, in conservative circles makes him a de facto expert on everything.
https://www.ucsusa.org/about/news/president-trump-illegally-nominates-non-scientist#.WXOKp9PyvUI
Clovis has repeatedly called climate change “junk science”; called political progressives “liars, race traders and race ‘traitors’”; said that the legalization of same-sex marriage could lead to “pedophilia”; and said that schools were teaching students “isms” (environmentalism, racism, feminism, and pacifism) that tended to “warp and twist the logic and intellectual development of children.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/aug/07/usda-climate-change-language-censorship-emails
https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/02/politics/kfile-sam-clovis-blog-posts/index.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/02/politics/kfile-sam-clovis-blog-posts/index.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/02/politics/kfile-sam-clovis-blog-posts/index.html
Clovis’s position in the Agriculture Department unfortunately – for Clovis anyway — required Senate confirmation.
In addition to lacking the most basic qualifications for the position, Clovis also was connected to Trump foreign policy adviser, George Papadopoulos, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russia meddling in the 2016 Presidential Election.
The New York Times reported that Clovis was among Trump campaign officials who was aware that Papadopoulos was trying to arrange a meeting between Trump and Russian officials.
In addition, court documents showed that Clovis had encouraged Papadopoulos to meet with the Russians.
Clovis withdrew his nomination in November 2017.
Clovis, in his letter, made no mention to his involvement in a political scandal or that he had no qualifications for the position he had nominated.
He blamed Washington D.C. politics.
“The political climate inside Washington has made it impossible for me to receive balanced and fair consideration for this position,” he wrote. “The relentless assaults on you and your team seem to be a blood sport that only increases with intensity each day.”
He continued to serve as a White House adviser to the USDA until May 2018.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/03/sam-clovis-leaving-usda-518109
