Last week, Politico published predictive features about what both a Clinton West Wing and its Trump counterpart would look like. These speculative guides are worth a perusal, and in the latter, many familiar faces — including Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, and Chris Christie — appeared. Only two of those names appeared in Katy Tur’s new NBC report about the hopeful Trump cabinet’s contents, based upon discussions with three anonymous Trump campaign advisers. Here’s the lowdown:
Among the names being considered, according to conversations with three campaign advisers who requested anonymity to speak freely: Rudy Giuliani for attorney general, Newt Gingrich for secretary of state, retired Lt. Gen Michael Flynn for defense secretary or national security adviser, Trump finance chairman Steve Mnuchin for Treasury secretary, and Republican National Committee finance chair Lew Eisenberg for commerce secretary.
Notably missing from this list is Chris Christie, who is currently under scrutiny after his close aides were convicted for Bridgegate, although he threw them under the bus on Monday morning. Also and even though Christie was regarded by spectators as a candidate for a Trump attorney general, his support for Trump appears to have waned. He’s appeared at a few recent campaign events but hasn’t been storming the talk show circuit.
In contrast, the inclusion of Giuliani and Gingrich seems like a reward for their continued loyalty. Giuliani has also seen some financial incentives in terms of a pro-Trump super-PAC paying his law firms, but a cabinet position would put a nice feather on his career cap. Giuliani’s FBI influence is looking pretty sketchy, however, but here’s one more telling list inclusion:
Reince Priebus, the current RNC chairman, is under consideration as Trump’s chief of staff. Priebus earned Trump’s trust over the course of the campaign by steadfastly defending him while other top Republicans denounced Trump or shied away from brand.
Word on the street is that Trump could also blame Priebus if he loses, but the RNC chair says he doesn’t care if that happens. He’s definitely betting that his party will see a win on Tuesday. If Trump doesn’t win, Priebus may not only be out of his hopeful gig but his current one too.
(Via NBC News)
