Trump’s top pick for Agriculture Secretary is a Christian extremist who believes prayer is a reasonable government response to drought.

According to Politico, Trump’s leading candidate for Secretary of Agriculture is former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.

ThinkProgress reports Perdue is a confederate flag loving, Christian extremist, who denies climate change and believes prayer for rain is an appropriate response from government officials facing a drought.

As Georgia’s Governor, Perdue asked his citizens to pray for rain during a serious drought in 2007. The call for prayer was a blatant insult to the U.S. Constitution’s separation of church and state, as well as a ridiculous and embarrassing appeal to ignorant religious superstition.

According to NPR, in November 2007, Governor Perdue led a prayer service for rain at the Georgia state capitol. At the service Perdue declared:

I’m here today to appeal to you and to all Georgians and all people who believe in the power of prayer to ask God to shower our state, our region, our nation with the blessings of water.

Perdue added:

We’ve come together here simply for one reason and one reason only: To very reverently and respectfully pray up a storm. It’s time to appeal to Him who can and will make a difference…

At the time, Annie Laurie Gaylor, founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, issued a letter protesting Perdue’s use of the Office of the Governor to organize, plan, and pay for a prayer service. Gaylor wrote:

You have a history of making prayer proclamations. It is time to quit confusing the office of governor with that of ‘state preacher.’

Gaylor was right. Perdue’s use of the Office of the Governor to promote his ridiculous religious superstitions was inappropriate, irresponsible, and without merit.

In addition, Heavy reports Perdue had a habit of involving his personal religion in his role as governor. For example, in 2005 he fought to display the 10 Commandments on the Georgia state capitol.

In fact, ugly and ignorant religious extremism runs in the Perdue family. Perdue’s brother, Georgia Senator David Perdue, opened his remarks at the 2016 Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference by encouraging attendees to pray for President Obama’s death.

Bottom line: Any individual who believes a call to prayer constitutes appropriate public policy is simply not qualified to serve as Agriculture Secretary.