Political appointees to the Agriculture Department include many who worked on President Donald Trump's election campaign and have little or no experience with federal policy or expertise in farms, Politico reports.
The website said it reviewed 42 resumes of Trump appointees to the department and found that 22 of them cited experience with the Trump campaign.
Appointees include the owner of a scented-candle company, a country club cabana attendant, a long-haul truck driver, a Republican National Committee intern, and a one-time Washington state senator, who noted on his resume he was the first elected official in his state to back Trump for president, according to Politico.
The website also reported that some appointees appear to lack credentials, like a college degree, to qualify for higher government salaries.
"There is a clear prioritization of one attribute, and that is loyalty," said Austin Evers, American Oversight's executive director.
His organization provided the documents to Politico after receiving them in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.
Evers said his group found many former campaign workers in positions throughout the federal government that did not appear to match their qualifications.
"The theme that emerges is pretty clear: What do you have to do to get an administration job? Work on the campaign," he said.
But USDA defended the hires. "All of the appointees have skills that are applicable to the roles they fill at USDA," the department said in an email to Politico. "Much in the same way previous administrations have done, the USDA worked with the Presidential Personnel Office to place Schedule C appointees where they could be most helpful to the mission of the department. All of the appointees have skills that are applicable to the roles they fill at USDA."
American Oversight noted on its website: "President Trump has made it clear that he values personal loyalty above experience or competence — and he has appointed hundreds of new officials across the federal government. The public has a right to know who these appointees are, what backgrounds they bring to their work, and whether they have any conflicts of interest."
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