WASHINGTON—Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney "is under
active and serious consideration" to be Donald Trump's secretary of
state, Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Sunday, a move that
would moderate the direction of the president-elect's national
security team inside a rapidly expanding administration.
Mr. Trump's remaining high-profile selections include the
economic team that will join him at the White House. He continues
to press for J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive James
Dimon to be the next Treasury secretary, said people familiar with
the conversations. But the choice may well come down to investment
banker Steven Mnuchin or Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling, they said.
Those choices likely won't be announced until after
Thanksgiving, said Reince Priebus, the former Republican National
Committee chairman whom Mr. Trump tapped to become his chief of
staff.
The Trump team also is readying to make changes to the
Affordable Care Act early in the new year, and overhaul tax laws
before next year's end. Mr. Pence, a former congressman who visited
Capitol Hill last week, was seeking a tax deal with Democrats that
would use repatriated corporate tax dollars to pay for
infrastructure spending, in return for their support of a major tax
cut, said one person familiar with the planning.
"We intend to move quickly, not waste a lot of time, and work
well with our colleagues in Congress and get this stuff rolling
fast," Mr. Priebus said in an interview.
The personnel decisions in the coming weeks will signal how the
New York businessman—the first elected president without government
or military experience—will lead the nation. His first few
appointments suggested a hardline approach, while future
announcements could send a more nuanced message.
Mr. Romney actively opposed Mr. Trump's candidacy and has called
Russia—a country that the next president is eager to repair
relations with—the top geopolitical threat to America. Retired Army
Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, Mr. Trump's pick for national security
adviser, has urged a closer relationship with Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
Yet Mr. Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee,
accepted an invitation to Mr. Trump's Bedminster, N.J., golf club
Saturday to discuss the new administration.
"I would tell you that it was not only a cordial meeting, but
also it was a very substantive meeting," Mr. Pence said on CBS.
"And I can say that Gov. Romney is under active and serious
consideration to serve as secretary of state of the United
States."
On Sunday, Mr. Trump met with former New York Mayor Rudy
Giuliani, who is among those vying for the secretary of state post.
Asked what the pair discussed behind closed doors, Mr. Trump
replied: "Wouldn't you like to know."
Mr. Trump also met Sunday with Wilbur Ross, a billionaire
investor and political donor whom the president-elect said he was
considering for commerce secretary.
Both Messrs. Ross and Dimon—who people familiar with the
situation said is disinclined to take the Treasury post—may require
a bit of explanation to Mr. Trump's supporters. Mr. Trump railed
against the influence of Wall Street and political donors during
the campaign.
"Time will tell," Mr. Ross told reporters when asked if he
wanted the Commerce Department post.
The continuing debate over who should navigate U.S. economic
policy suggests Mr. Trump may be more open for now to competing
voices on trade and finance than on foreign policy.
Mr. Mnuchin is a former Goldman Sachs investment banker who has
become a trusted adviser to Mr. Trump after serving as his
campaign's finance chairman. Messrs. Mnuchin and Dimon are from the
financial world, while Mr. Hensarling is a longtime politician and
committed conservative ideologue.
With eight weeks until his inauguration, Mr. Trump has seized
control of his transition by holding near-continuous face-to-face
meetings with potential hires.
In New York, those visits are regularly held in his corner
office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower. He is joined by Mr.
Priebus; Steve Bannon, his chief strategist; Kellyanne Conway, a
senior adviser; and often one of his children, such as Eric Trump,
who sat in on several meetings last week.
Still, the transition had an uncomfortable start, with the
ouster of Chris Christie from his leadership position and the
sidelining of the New Jersey governor's allies, along with the
uprooting several lobbyists on the team.
Two senior advisers to Mr. Trump said the transition team
initially wasn't properly prepared. Some staffers didn't submit
their ré sumé s before they were hired, and others conflicted with
Mr. Trump's promise to "drain the swamp" in Washington by removing
lobbyists whose clients stand to benefit financially from
government actions.
Corrections & Amplifications: "We had a far-reaching
conversation with regards to the various theaters in the world
where there are interests of the United States of real
significance," Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said. An
earlier version of this article misstated the quote. (Nov. 20,
2016)
Write to Michael C. Bender at Mike.Bender@wsj.com and Nick
Timiraos at nick.timiraos@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 21, 2016 02:45 ET (07:45 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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