Iowa’s Sam Clovis withdraws from USDA nomination

SIOUX CITY - Sam Clovis, a Northwest Iowan who has been linked to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into alleged meddling by Russia in the 2016 campaign, has withdrawn his nomination to a ranking U.S. Department of Agriculture post.

Clovis - who had served as Donald Trump's national campaign co-chair - wrote a letter Wednesday, saying he wanted President Trump to withdraw his nomination to become USDA's chief scientist.

The nomination already was facing heavy criticism because of Clovis' lack of scientific training. But doubts grew this week after it was revealed he knew about another campaign aide's attempts in 2016 to meet with Kremlin interests promising 'dirt” on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, including hacked emails.

'The political climate inside Washington has made it impossible for me to receive balanced and fair consideration for this position,” Clovis wrote. 'The reckless assaults on you and your team seem to be a blood sport that only increases in intensity every day.”

Clovis, now a White House adviser to the USDA, wrote in his letter that we wants to remain in his current position.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the leading Democrat on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry that was slated to hold a Nov. 9 hearing on Clovis, had written him Wednesday with more questions about his actions in 2016 with the campaign.

Stabenow said the questions need answers after information surfaced when court filings were unsealed this week.

'The emerging information about his role in the Trump campaign's interactions with Russia raises serious concerns. As we consider his nomination, I will be looking into these facts, along with his questionable qualifications,” Stabenow said in a statement.

Clovis testified last week before a grand jury in Washington and has been questioned by Mueller's team, NBC News reported Tuesday.

Clovis, a former Morningside College professor and Sioux City radio talk show host, was propelled into the middle of Mueller's high-stakes probe on Monday with the unsealing of court documents revealing a guilty plea by George Papadopoulos, a former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign.

Papadopoulos, who secretly was arrested in July, pleaded guilty last month to lying to the FBI and is cooperating with the investigation, the documents show.

As national campaign co-chair and senior policy adviser of the Trump campaign, Clovis was asked to form a national security advisory committee. The members included Papadopoulos.

Papadopoulos was not approached by the campaign for consultation except for the one meeting he attended in March 2016, said a statement from Victoria Toensing, an attorney for Clovis.

In his plea filing, Papadopoulos admitted he told Trump and other top campaign national security officials during the March 31, 2016, meeting that he had contact with intermediaries for Russia who said they could set up a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Papadopoulos continued to email campaign officials about a possible meeting with them, which ultimately never occurred.

In an August 2016 email, a campaign supervisor later identified as Clovis urged Papadopoulos to 'make the trip, if it is feasible.”

Toensing said Clovis always opposed a meeting between the campaign and Kremlin interests, and was just being polite in his response.

For weeks, Democrats had urged Trump to withdraw the nomination of Clovis, contending his background as an economics professor in Sioux City does not fit for the agriculture post.

Clovis confirmed in an Oct. 17 letter obtained by the Washington Post that he has no academic credentials in either science or agriculture.

Clovis, who possesses a bachelor's degree in political science, an MBA degree and a doctorate in public administration, repeatedly acknowledged his lack of background in the hard sciences when responding to a letter previously sent by Stabenow, of Michigan.

'Please list all graduate level courses you have taken in natural science,” a question asked. 'None,” Clovis replied.

'Please list all membership and leadership roles you have held within any agricultural scientific, agricultural education, or agricultural economic organizations,” another question read. 'None,” Clovis replied.

Asked about his agriculture research experience, Clovis replied, 'I bring 17 years of agriculture experience integrated into both undergraduate- and graduate-level courses throughout my teaching career as reflected in my curriculum vitae as well as the Committee's questionnaire.” And having twice run for statewide office, he added that 'one cannot be a credible candidate in that state without significant agricultural experience and knowledge.”

On Thursday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said that 'we respect Mr. Clovis's decision to withdraw his nomination.”

Also in his letter, Clovis, a military veteran, said, 'I have served this nation for 50 years with dignity, honor and integrity and will continue to do so.”

He added that 'it saddens me” that the nomination would not go through to fruition.

The Washington Post contributed to this report.