WASHINGTON (AP) – Agriculture secretary nominee Sonny 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.
In a written agreement with a government ethics agency, the former Georgia governor said he will also step down from positions at the National Grain and Feed Association and the Georgia Agribusiness Council.
“I will not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter in which I know that I have a financial interest directly and predictably affected by the matter,” Perdue said in the agreement.
The agreement is routine for any member of the Cabinet. Senators have been waiting for more than seven weeks for Perdue’s letter, which is dated March 7 but was posted on the Office of Government Ethics website over the weekend.
Donald Trump chose Perdue for the job on Jan. 18, two days before the inauguration, but the formal nomination was only sent to the Senate last week.