The honorary chairman of the Trump campaign in Idaho, third-term Gov. Butch Otter, was mentioned repeatedly as a possible nominee for Interior secretary. Now his spokesman says Otter is in the mix for Agriculture secretary, and Politico cited unnamed sources in saying, “Otter has been to Trump Tower to talk with the transition team about the agriculture secretary position.”
Jon Hanian, Otter’s press secretary, told KIVI-TV in Nampa, Idaho, that he had no further information about other contenders or the time frame for a decision on the USDA chief. Agriculture and Veterans Affairs are last spots for President-elect Trump to fill in his cabinet.
The former president of Simplot International, a giant potato company, Otter, 74, was Idaho lieutenant governor for 14 years before election to the U.S. House in 2000. He served three terms in the House before returning to Idaho. He previously announced that he would leave the governor’s office at the end of his term in 2018.