Donald Trump’s pick to be the Department of Agriculture’s chief scientist pushed fringe theories in 2012 and 2013 about then-President Obama’s birth certificate and called then-Attorney General Eric Holder a “racist black,” CNN reported Thursday. Sam Clovis was a conservative radio host and political activist in Iowa before becoming one of Trump’s most vocal supporters. His position in the USDA requires Senate confirmation. Clovis serves as the Department of Agriculture’s senior White House adviser.
