Agriculture nominee will distance himself from businesses

By Mary Clare Jalonick | Abbey Westbury
March 13 2017 10:32 AM

CP237403521 — FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2017, file photo, Agriculture Secretary-designate, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue attends a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington. Perdue says he will step down from several positions at companies bearing his name, restructure family trusts and create blind trusts to avoid a conflict of interest if he is confirmed. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON – Agriculture secretary nominee Sonny Perdue says he will step down from several positions at companies bearing his name and restructure several family trusts to avoid a conflict of interest if he is confirmed.

In a written agreement with a government ethics agency, Perdue said Monday that he will distance himself from several business interests, some of them agricultural.

Senators have been waiting for more than seven weeks for the agreement, which is dated March 7 but was posted on the Office of Government Ethics website over the weekend. President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate Perdue on Jan. 18, but the formal nomination was only sent to the Senate last week.

The Senate Agriculture Committee has received the paperwork, a final step before scheduling a hearing.

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