Sam Clovis, the Trump administration's chief scientist on agriculture, described progressives as "race traitors" in a now-defunct blog that highlighted the former Iowa professor and right-wing radio host's paranoid views of the left and its leader, former President Barack Obama.
In the blog posts, which were dug up by CNN's KFILE team thanks to the Wayback Machine, Clovis frequently ruminated on racial issues in America, blaming progressives for heightened racial tensions during Obama's tenure. Clovis wrote that progressives were "liars, race traders and race 'traitors'" who lack moral certitude. He argued that progressives were "the real racists."
His blog did not demonstrate much scientific aptitude. Rather, it showed his prowess at right-wing commentary, pivoting the American left against the good people of Middle America. Clovis touched on the go-to topics of conservative radio hosts during the Obama years.
“He was brought up by socialists to be a socialist," Clovis wrote of Obama. "His associations were socialists or worse, criminal dissidents who were bent on overthrowing the government of the United States.”
Clovis also seemed to grasp the reverse-racism grievances that have been expounded by the alt-right this past year.
"We can go back 100 years and trace how the progressives, socialists and fellow travelers have done everything possible to keep minorities in this country enslaved to government," another blog post said. "This is particularly true in the African-American community. The progressives have systematically attacked the individual, the black family unit, the black female and the black male."
According to CNN, a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture defended Clovis in a statement.
“Dr. Clovis is a proud conservative and a proud American,” the spokesperson said. “All of his reporting either on the air or in writing over the course of his career has been based on solid research and data. He is after all an academic.”
In May, it was reported that Trump was leaning towards nominating Clovis to run the research division of the Department of Agriculture, even though Clovis had zero experience in agricultural research. Clovis, a devout Trump supporter, was known in Iowa for his conservative radio show “Impact with Sam Clovis” on Sioux City KSCJ. During the 2016 presidential election, he became a confidant of the Trump campaign, advising the candidate on agricultural and immigration issues.
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