Alphonso Michael Espy (born November 30, 1953)[1] is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 25th United States secretary of agriculture from 1993 to 1994.

Espy attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., and was active in student politics, holding several elective positions.

[5] In October 2007, Espy crossed party lines to endorse Republican Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's reelection campaign.

[citation needed] On March 5, 2018, Republican Senator Thad Cochran announced he would resign as of April 1 for health reasons, triggering a special election.

Too many people here can’t find a decent job, rural hospitals are closing, and the price for education is just too high,” Espy said in a tweet on Tuesday.

[13] The Clarion Ledger wrote that Espy sought to "play up his bipartisan credentials, like endorsing former Republican Gov.

"[14] When asked by MSNBC's Chris Matthews to comment on President Trump's criticism of several African-American journalists, Espy "refused to bite", instead redirecting the interview to health care.

[15] After no candidate gained a simple majority of the vote,[16] a runoff election between Espy and Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith was held on November 27.

[20] National Journal noted that his liberal social views are mixed with his support for cutting the federal budget and protecting Mississippi's defense and agricultural industries.

[29] On August 27, 1997, Espy was indicted on charges of receiving improper gifts, including sports tickets, lodging, and airfare.

[30] During testimony before the jury, the prosecution's star witness told Smaltz: "God knows, if I had $30 million, I could find dirt on you, sir.

[32] In 1996, Sun-Diamond Growers was fined $1.5 million for giving Espy $6,000 in gifts; in March 1998 it won a reversal at the Court of Appeals level.

The court's unanimous April 1999 opinion, by Justice Antonin Scalia, stated that the prosecutor's interpretation of the law was so broad that even a high school principal could be in legal trouble for giving a souvenir baseball cap to a visiting Secretary of Education.

[34] The Sun-Diamond decision played a pivotal role in Espy's later acquittal because Smaltz was unable to link gifts he received to any official act.

In a separate case during the same investigation, Espy's Chief of Staff, Ronald Blackley, was convicted in late 1997 on three counts of making false statements[35] and sentenced to 27 months in prison.

[36] Controversy also arose in 1994 from a White House discovery that a foundation run by Tyson Foods had given Espy's then girlfriend, Patricia Dempsey, a $1,200 scholarship.