Trump weighs outsiders versus elected officials as he builds a new Cabinet
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares a return to the White House, advisers thinking about how to staff his administration are weighing the merits of stacking Trump’s Cabinet with elected officials versus the mix of businesspeople, political outsiders and loyalists who fill up his Rolodex, three sources engaged in discussions about the transition said.
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares a return to the White House, advisers thinking about how to staff his administration are weighing the merits of stacking Trump’s Cabinet with elected officials versus the mix of businesspeople, political outsiders and loyalists who fill up his Rolodex, three sources engaged in discussions about the transition said.
Two sources involved in the transition process said Trump is expected to place a premium on Cabinet selections from outside of government service, as opposed to sitting lawmakers, for two reasons. He sees some of his first-term outside selections, including investor Steven Mnuchin, whom he appointed to lead the Treasury Department, and Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon nominated to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, as more successful and more loyal than several lawmakers he plucked from Congress.
Trump never forgave Jeff Sessions, the senator from Alabama who became his first attorney general, for recusing himself from the Justice Department's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Former Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., who was appointed secretary of health and human services, and Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana, who was interior secretary, were dogged by scandal over how they ran their departments and used government resources.
Trump is also wary of special elections to replace sitting lawmakers, especially in the Senate. “He doesn’t want a Roy Moore situation,” one of the sources said. Moore was the Republican nominee in the special election to replace Sessions in the Senate, which Democrats won in a rare and dramatic victory in Alabama in 2017.
No decision is final or forecloses on the possibility that Trump will select particular members of Congress. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., is among those under consideration for attorney general, according to multiple sources. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is among those who have made it clear they'd be ready to serve in any capacity Trump needs.
Rating: 5