Story highlights New nomination for USDA chief scientist has no degree in science

Sam Clovis was an ardent Trump campaign supporter

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump plans to nominate his longtime campaign aide Sam Clovis to head science at the US Department of Agriculture, despite the fact that Clovis lacks a background in science and a congressional rule maintains that the role must be filled "from among distinguished scientists."

Clovis, who has been serving as senior White House adviser to the USDA since Trump took office, has a background as an economics professor and a former talk radio host, but he has no formal background in the hard sciences. The White House announced Trump's plans to nominate Clovis Wednesday night.

The nominee for under secretary of agriculture for research, education, and economics, was an avid supporter of Trump in 2016, serving as his chief policy adviser and national chair.

Clovis ardently defended Trump throughout the campaign.

"Either they (GOP establishment) want to get behind the presumptive nominee who will be the nominee of this party and make sure that we do everything we can to win in November or we're just asking them if they can't do that, then just shut the hell up," Clovis told CNN's "New Day" last June. "That's what we're asking them to do."

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