Watchdog organizations are calling for the USDA's inspector general to investigate whether Ag Secretary Sonn Perdue committed ethics violations when he may have failed to separate himself from his multimillion dollar business when becoming the head of the Department of Ag.

In 2017, Perdue pledged to separate himself from business holdings that could pose conflicts of interest in his public duties. However according to Politico, last year, he disclosed he had become trustee of a newly formed fund that includes many of the same assets as his original family trust. The commitments reportedly entailed Perdue moving his holdings into a new trust and agreeing not to serve as a trustee or beneficiary of the fund. The secretary’s office contends he has complied with the agreement.

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