October, 15 2020, 12:00am EDT
Agriculture Secretary Perdue Failed to Disclose Conflicts of Interest
New research by nonpartisan government watchdog Accountable.US
WASHINGTON
New research by nonpartisan government watchdog Accountable.US reported today in Politico shows Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has failed to disclose conflicts of interest.
Even though Perdue pledged during his confirmation process in 2017 to put his assets in a blind trust so that he would not benefit from decisions he makes as secretary, he appears not to have followed through on that agreement. Perdue received nearly $140,000 in income after seeking to increase the value of conservation mitigation bank credits.
"Throughout his political career Secretary Perdue has routinely put his own financial interests above the best interests of the American people. Unfortunately, this type of self-dealing is nothing new in the Trump administration -- but that doesn't make it any less wrong or potentially illegal," said Chris Saeger, a spokesperson for Accountable.US. "Decisions made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture should serve the American people, not narrow interests who have special access to the top decision maker -- and certainly not the secretary himself. The inspector general should immediately initiate a review of Secretary Perdue's actions of these serious conflicts of interest that raise questions about the integrity of his decision-making over the last four years."
Download the research at this link.
Accountable.US is a nonpartisan watchdog that exposes corruption in public life and holds government officials and corporate special interests accountable by bringing their influence and misconduct to light. In doing so, we make way for policies that advance the interests of all Americans, not just the rich and powerful.
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According to the newspaper:
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Without naming anyone, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a polio survivor, put out a lengthy statement on Friday.
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