President-elect Donald Trump is expanding his pool of candidates for secretary of state, leaving unclear whether former CIA Director David Petraeus’ guilty plea for leaking classified information disqualifies him to serve as the nation’s top diplomat.
“There’s not a finite list of candidates” for secretary of state, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told reporters on Sunday. “More than four. Who knows how many finalists there will be?”
The remark comes a week after Trump’s aides confirmed that the president-elect had settled on four finalists for the post. Two people close to the transition told The Associated Press that Trump is moving away from two of the four: former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee.
That would leave Petraeus as a contender, along with Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Both people close to the transition said Trump’s prolonged decision-making process has left the door open to other options. Among other possibilities, one official says is Jon Huntsman, a former Republican Utah governor who also served as the ambassador to China and speaks Mandarin.
The people close to the transition spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the private process publicly.
There was other evidence that Trump is looking beyond the known four contenders. Vice President-elect Mike Pence on Sunday listed the quartet, but added a fresh reference to former U.N. ambassador “John Bolton or others who may be added to the list” of candidates.
“I think the person who will make the decision about our next secretary of state is the president-elect,” Pence said on ABC. “And he’ll factor the totality of Gen. Petraeus’ career in making that decision.”
Pence also referred to Petraeus as a “hero.” But it seemed unclear Sunday even to Petraeus and Trump’s inner circle whether the retired general’s guilty plea has turned off Trump.
Petraeus, a retired four-star general, pleaded guilty last year to one misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information relating to documents he had provided to a woman he was having a sexual relationship with. He was spared prison time under a plea agreement with the Justice Department and was given two years’ probation.
FBI Director James Comey has drawn a distinction between Petraeus’ case and that of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton by saying there was no evidence that Clinton or her aides had intended to break the law through careless handling of sensitive information. Federal prosecutors said Petraeus knew black binders he shared contained classified information, but he nonetheless provided them.
“I made a mistake. I have again acknowledged it,” Petraeus said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” ”Folks will have to factor that in and determine whether that is indeed disqualifying or not.”
The remarks come as Trump struggles to fill one of the most visible and prestigious positions in any presidential administration. The secretary of state will steer Trump’s foreign policy agenda, which the president-elect has said would include renegotiating key trade deals and the pact aimed at keeping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. But for all his business acumen, Trump has no experience with government diplomacy. He’s most recently drawn criticism for speaking with Taiwan’s leader that contradicted U.S. practice and prompted a complaint from China.
Petraeus acknowledged that he loaned Paula Broadwell eight binders containing highly classified information regarding war strategy, intelligence capabilities and identities of covert officers. Petraeus kept the binders in an unlocked desk drawer at his home, instead of a secure facility that’s required for handling classified material.
When initially questioned by the FBI, he denied having given Broadwell classified information. Petraeus avoided being charged with making a false statement under his plea deal.
“At the time, I didn’t think it was false,” Petraeus said Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
I think Petreaus would be a ‘yuge’ mistake. He would be nominating a man who carries some of the same baggage HRC has. Maybe he would be a decent Secretary of State, but the stigma that the man has would be carried with him from day one and never leave. Romney’s worse for other reasons, and Giuliani remains questionable. Time to rethink your options Mr. President Elect. You need to find a true Statesman . . . A rare and valuable commodity these days.
And Petreaus did not even vote on November 8!
Trey Gowdy is an excellent choice for anything! He is not afraid to ask the questions needed to get to the bottom of all the lies by killery, her brain dead supporters and lying government allies!
I love Trey Gordy too but we need him in Congress to get things done and oversite. There are only a handful of men in Congress worthy of their paychecks!
I’m Thankful to be an American! I can put my thoughts here because I’m free to do so, however I must ask myself what am I going to DO about any of this stuff? What CAN I DO???
I am Proud 2 be an American. I can put my thoughts here because I have the right 2 do so. But I must ask myself what am I going to DO about those things I am Free to write or make a statement about? What am I as a citizen of this Great Country TO DO about it?
President elect Trump should take the time to make a good pick for secretary of state. If he isn’t convinced one of the people he has talked with so far is a good fit he should keep looking.
Have any of you actually looked into the backgrounds of these people, a lot of them a very questionable, at least one has ties to the Clinton foundation, another was with the Bush’s and backed Common Core, it doesn’t really look that good, you people should do some research before applauding his picks. Senator McConnell’s wife’s family is tied to cocaine trafficking. Why doesn’t the Horn investigate this and report back?
RJ – Agree McConnell’s wife raises questions. 1. McConnell (and Paul Ryan) were very anti-Trump and work
tight with RNC chair. Why pick anyone who has potential to betray or set you up to fall?
The best qualified person for secretary of state is John Bolton who has more knowledge of foreign affairs than all the rest put together.