A former campaign aide to President Trump withdrew his nomination to a top post at the Department of Agriculture on Thursday amid speculation that his conduct during the presidential race was described in a plea agreement unsealed by the special counsel this week.
Sam Clovis, Trump’s controversial choice to become the Department of Agriculture’s chief scientist, had already faced opposition in the Senate due to incendiary comments he had made in the past. Democrats had also questioned his qualifications to assume the position.
Special counsel Robert Mueller charged another former Trump campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos, with making false statements to FBI agents after Papadopoulos lied about the nature of his contacts with Russians during his time advising the campaign. Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to the charges and is cooperating with investigators.
His plea agreement describes contact with unnamed campaign officials, some of whom encouraged Papadopoulos to continue his outreach to Russians who had promised damaging information on Hillary Clinton. People familiar with the structure of the foreign policy advisory board on which Papadopoulos served have said Clovis, who hastily assembled the board last year amid questions about Trump’s foreign policy knowledge, would have been the supervisor described several times in the plea agreement.
“We respect Mr. Clovis’s decision to withdraw his nomination,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Thursday in a statement.
Clovis’ letter to Trump, in which he informs the president of his decision to exit the confirmation process, blames the “political climate inside Washington” for denying him a fair confirmation.
“The relentless assaults on you and your team seem to be a blood sport that only increases in intensity each day,” Clovis wrote.
Despite the scrutiny of Clovis’ role in creating the panel that included Papadopoulos and Carter Page, another adviser whose Russia ties has caused problems for the White House, Clovis wrote that he intends to remain in his current role as a liaison between the Department of Agriculture and the West Wing.
Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign teamed up with Russian officials to influence the 2016 election. Two other former campaign hands, Paul Manafort and Rick Gates, were indicted on Monday for unrelated offenses that include money laundering and tax evasion.
Clovis’ decision to withdraw from contention for the Agriculture position was first reported by the Associated Press.
