Six months after withdrawing his nomination for USDA chief scientist, Sam Clovis will leave the department on Friday and return to Iowa. The nomination, which was problematic from the start — opponents said he was unqualified — was doomed when Clovis, co-chair of President Trump’s campaign committee, was snared on the periphery of the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
“Dr. Clovis was one of the first people through the door at USDA in January 2017, and we are grateful for his time here,” said a USDA spokesperson. “He is a good man and a patriot who for decades has served his country admirably. … We wish him well on his future endeavors back home in Iowa.”
A college professor and talk-radio host described as a “rock star” by conservative Republicans in Iowa, Clovis was co-chair of Trump’s fall campaign and acted as its liaison with agricultural groups. He led the “beachhead” team of Trump officials who arrived at USDA headquarters on inauguration day, making him the administration’s top political operative at the agency. After he withdrew as a candidate for chief scientist last November, he remained as senior White House adviser at the USDA.
Court documents filed by special counsel Robert Mueller last fall indicated that Clovis, in his campaign role, handled emails from foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos, who tried from April to August 2016 to arrange meetings between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his activities. In a mid-August 2016 email, Clovis told him, “I would encourage you” to make an off-the-record trip to Russia.
Clovis told Agri-Pulse that he would return to Sioux City, his longtime home. “I’ve been living out of my truck and a suitcase for five years, and I’m ready to go home,” he said. Clovis said he has a job lined up but declined to provide details.