You're kidding, right?

The Trump transition team, Department of Agriculture edition, has a new member. Because Donald Trump has so reliably surrounded himself with walking cartoons, it's Brian Klippenstein, executive director of far-right astroturf group Protect the Harvest.

The group is dedicated to fighting humane animal farming legislation, such as minimum cage sizes for pigs and chickens—but you almost certainly best know them from their vigorous defense of puppy mills.

Protect the Harvest's zeal to fight regulation of animal farming extends even to "puppy mills"—large facilities that churn out dogs like factory farms churn out pigs. Back in 2010, the year Protect the Harvest was founded, it vigorously opposed a Missouri ballot measure to "require large-scale dog breeding operations to provide each dog under their care with sufficient food, clean water, housing and space; necessary veterinary care; regular exercise and adequate rest between breeding cycles," and to "prohibit any breeder from having more than 50 breeding dogs for the purpose of selling their puppies as pets."

Yep, that's right. One of the new focuses of a Trump-led Department of Agriculture may well be loosening the restrictions on ... puppy mills.

Walking cartoons, one and all.