Don spices up race for top post

Trump aide says more than 4 candidates being considered for secretary of state

Washington, Dec. 5: US President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign manager and adviser Kellyanne Conway has said that more than four people are being considered by Mr Trump for secretary of state.

“It is true that he’s broadened the search and secretary of state is an incredibly important position for any president to fill,” CNN quoted Ms Conway as saying to reporters in the Trump Tower lobby.

She said Mr Trump is talking to different people and this week additional interviews with other candidates would be done for secretary of state.

Ms Conway added that interviews would also be done for other Cabinet positions and deputy Cabinet positions.

However, she did not reveal the names of the contenders saying “I don’t think we’ve released that.”

Ms Conway said that list of the contenders is expanding as there is not a finite list of finalists.

She said Mr Trump will interview with additional candidates early this week. Mr Trump had earlier tweeted that there were four finalists for the post.

Responding to a question about more candidates for the job, Ms Conway said, “More than four but I, who knows how many finalists there will be. It’s a big decision and nobody should rush through it.

But asked Sunday whether there are now more in the mix, Ms Conway said: “More than four but I — who knows how many finalists there will be. It’s a big decision and nobody should rush through it.”

A transition source said former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Republican who was President Barack Obama’s first ambassador to China and ran a failed campaign for the 2012 GOP nomination, is among the candidates.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence wouldn’t say who Mr Trump is likely to select for secretary of state in an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press.

But he listed five men when asked about the job: 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Gen. David Petraeus, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker and former UN Ambassador John Bolton.

Asked whether Mr Petraeus’ conviction for mishandling classified information would disqualify him, Mr Pence said: “It’ll be the president-elect’s decision about the totality of General Petraeus’s experience in background. But I first met General Petraeus when he was commanding 101st Airborne in Iraq, and then I saw him martial the plan and the resources for what became the successful surge in Iraq. He’s an American hero and he has our great respect.”