what is sonny perdue doing now

He would not be the first governor to move into academia: Former Gov. David Perdue is saying, "I'm the big Trump guy here." Saeger, of Accountable.US, said the inspector general still needs to review that claim. Ethics authorities have already issued warnings to a dozen Trump administration officials for violating the Hatch Act, but Perdues straightforward appeal to reelect Trump was seen as especially flagrant. And Sonny Perdue was one of the only, if not the only cabinet member who went the distance in the Donald Trump administration. And then also, I think, you know, there's been some criticism that he's not the best qualified person for the position. [News tape] 11Alive: This is where angry parents are accusing the school board of trying to indoctrinate students with controversial curriculum on race and American history. Steve Fennessy: How unusual is it for a letter like that to be written? Eric Stirgus: For now, we have not heard any discussion about, you know, where Sonny Perdue will ultimately fall on the governor's race. Steve Fennessy: OK, Sonny Perdue is, I think he's 75. But last year,. You know, Steve Wrigley, you know, he worked in the university system before he became chancellor, so he did have some of that experience. Here to help us make sense of the implications of all this is Eric Stirgis, who covers higher education at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. American Oversight is now calling on the inspector general to investigate whether Perdue improperly participated in any such decision, given his ethics pledge to stay out of any matters that might have a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of the assets in his trusts. You know, then there are many others outside the metro area. He won the 2002 Georgia gubernatorial election, defeating Democratic incumbent Roy Barnes 51% to 46%, with Libertarian candidate Garrett Michael Hayes taking 2% of the vote. The administration began acquiring bond money for the Go Fish Education Center near his home in Perry, GA. Born George Ervin Perdue III, Perdue has been known as Sonny since childhood, and prefers to be called by that name; he was sworn in and signs official documents as "Sonny Perdue". Kudlow used the opportunity to fluff Trumps economic record. In 2011, he founded Perdue Partners, which facilitated the export of U.S. goods and services. Steve Fennessy: Yeah. So you've had recently, you know, the Board of Regents members serve seven-year terms. Brian Kemp is not. Steve Fennessy: Eric, you've covered higher education in Georgia for a lot of years. Purdue merged the voter-fraud myth with another racist fantasy, also fervently indulged by Trump, that undocumented immigrants burden taxpayers by siphoning welfare benefits. AGrowStar (including the assets acquired as part of the Estill deal) was sold by Perdue's trusts in 2018 for 12 million dollars, but due to the secretive nature of the trusts, this was not widely disclosed. After the sale, the huge boiler on the property was sold for approximately $500,000, easily covering the cost of the purchase even if the rest of the land had been valueless. 11/08/2018 02:42 PM EST. The COVID-19 crisis served as yet another opportunity to promote the political fortunes of his boss, without impeding his pursuit of a pro-agribusiness, anti-worker agenda. This is the golden rule do unto others.". And so now he's no longer on the regents. Your support makes this possible. So we have not had a chancellor at least, a non-interim chancellor for at least seven or eight months, right? Terms of Service apply. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue told the crowd at last week's event in North Carolina that he got a call from the White House. "You have got to have stuff where there is a lot of traffic. Steve Fennessy: As you said, Sonny Perdue persuaded Donald Trump when he was president to endorse Brian Kemp. Sonny Perdue may soon head up Georgias public university system. The Perdue USDA also insisted that federally funded grocery boxes distributed by food banks contain a letter signed by Trump, touting the administrations coronavirus response. [News tape] FOX5: Critics have questioned Perdue's experience, pointing out his lack of experience in the higher education setting. Sonny Perdue and Brian Kemp have a longstanding relationship politically, and then you have Sonny Perdue's cousin who is running against the governor now in the GOP primary. He also has largely avoided the sort of major scandals that have dogged many others in Trumps Cabinet. Perdue announced the final relocation site in a letter that was distributed to employees Thursday morning. On March 1, 2022, the Board of Regents of University System of Georgia appointed Perdue as the system's 14th chancellor, effective April 1, 2022. You know, he was brought on actually, you know, during Sonny Perdue's tenure to take on the job. In 2018, while Perdue was secretary, Soque River Conservation asked the Army Corps to modify the credits held by the company in a way that could boost its value by nearly $3 million, the groups estimate. Steve Fennessy: Well, let's unpack a little bit more this rather awkward political relationship going on. [24] During his governorship, Perdue collected at least $25,000 in gifts, including sporting event tickets and airplane flights. earned Perdue a knuckle-rap from the Office of Special Counsel, publicly for a way to cut federally mandated wages, lavished mainly huge soybean, hog, and cotton farmers, more than double the price tag of President Barack Obamas 2009 auto bailout, join us with a tax-deductible donation today. We're a nonprofit (so it's tax-deductible), and reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget. His anti-immigrant machinations worked all too well, creating a crippling labor shortage for Georgias immigrant-dependent farms and poultry slaughterhouses. The association has publicly condemned how the university system selected Mr. Perdue, a process that largely occurred in meetings without faculty input and closed to the public. [29] Perdue also created additional opportunities for charter schools and private schools. What is it about this job that appeals to him? Steve Fennessy: So what happened then? As governor, Perdue mastered the Trumpian strategy of using know-nothing bigotry as a beard for brazen self-dealing, sometimes involving his own family. And so, you know, I think he was one of those, you know, members who, you know, was part of that faction were against it. I mean, you know, there is one former member now, Phillip Lehi, who did, you know, say, Hey, I like Sonny Perdue personally. Therefore the new trust Perdue listed on his 2019 financial disclosure, identifying himself as a co-trustee, poses no conflict of interest or violation of his ethics commitments, the spokesperson said. They range from Georgia State University, which has the most students in the system, like about 53,000 students; Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State both of those schools have about 40,000 students each and then University of Georgia. And so, you know, they point to things like that and they also point to issues, you know, point to things that, you know, hey, other states have hired elected officials and former politicians to lead colleges or universities. Eric Stirgus: Correct. While it is often especially difficult for members of a governing board who are appointed by the governor or legislative body to remain independent in their work, it is imperative that they do or they place the accreditation of the institution they govern in jeopardy." Kemp replaced them with two additional members. The department did not provide further documentation that potential conflicts in 2017 were limited to AGrowStar and Pro Ag Products. [News tape] parent at recent school board meeting, 11Alive: "This isn't critical race theory. You know, he provided the money for the budget for the university system, and he understands how the system, you know, to a certain degree, you know, how the system works. There are probably about 48,000 employees in the university system, and they range from professors, assistant professors, you know, associate professors, guest lecturers, you know, everything from electricians to people who work in the cafeterias. The board cited Perdue's, quote, "vast understanding of the issues facing the university system," unquote. We've been hearing that Gov. Georgias public university system said on Tuesday that former Gov. The former two-term Georgia governor has kept his cabinet post until the end, maintaining a close relationship with . So, you know, we've been hearing that this from faculty members who have been upset about, you know, some of his credentials in that space. One is looking at his record, as you know, the governor of Georgia. June 23, 2021. Its another death, wound, stab in the heart for anybody that works in the university system to have someone like this, he said. Eric Stirgus: Yes. The Perdue USDAs largesse to large-scale farmers and agribusinesses went beyond cutting wages and protective measures for their workers. Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation. [67], Regardless of whether the deal was intended to influence Perdue's actions, and if it was if it actually had any impact, the Perdue years were good ones for ADM. Meanwhile, in 2020, the pandemic ravaged meatpacking workers and put millions out of work, causing a surge in the need for food assistanceboth very much areas of concern for the agriculture department. He served two terms,. Eric Stirgus: Yes, definitely. Let's go into November and be against Stacey Abrams together.". Republican Sen. David Perdue, a former Fortune 500 CEO, will face off against Democrat Jon Ossoff, a 33-year-old media executive, again in a runoff election Jan. 5. Opponents of the choice say Perdue's appointment would jeopardize academic freedom across the systems 26 campuses. She said that this is coming from a place of strength and not weakness. [30], In 2001, Democratic governor Roy Barnes replaced the 1956 state flag, which incorporated the battle flag of the Confederacy, and which had been adopted by Georgia largely as a protest against desegregation. Later, FALF Management Trust was created. Sonny Perdue had campaigned on his cousins behalf during David Perdues 2020 re-election campaign, which he narrowly lost to Senator Jon Ossoff. Eric Stirgus: He has some interest in the job because, you know, he realizes the importance of higher education to the state's economy. I'm Steve Fennessy. [61][62], In February 2020, Perdue endorsed putting a price on carbon dioxide, a climate change policy favored by many economists. There were so many cabinet members who who left, and then he had to appoint new ones. Eric Stirgus: I think, you know, there's just some uncertainty among many faculty members about, you know, who will eventually serve in the position and you know what role they may take on, you know, on this, you know, systems operations. He shortly thereafter became a committee chairman, then climbed the leadership ladder to majority leader and to Senate president pro tempore.