The Short List: Trump team starts to take shape

Mike Segar—Reuters
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump walks to the Lamington Presbyterian Church to attend Sunday services in Bedminster

BEDMINSTER, N.J. – President-elect Donald Trump will hold a series of meetings on Sunday in New Jersey as he continues to put together a team for his incoming administration, Trump spokesmen said.They said Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence will meet with: talent agent Ari Emanuel; civil rights attorney Peter Kirsanow; Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach; Black Entertainment Television founder Robert Johnson; Bridgewater Associates President David McCormick; and retired Marine Corps General John Kelly.Trump and Pence will also meet with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers; Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives T.W. Shannon; American investor Wilbur Ross; and Jonathan Gray, global head of real estate at Blackstone Group, they added during a call with reporters.The Sunday talks cap a week of meetings with candidates for top leadership roles within the Trump administration. On Saturday he met with 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. The meeting between famous foes fueling speculation that Romney could be in line to be the new U.S. secretary of state. Working to fill administration positions ahead of his inauguration on Jan. 20, Trump also met for an hour with retired Marine General James Mattis, who is considered a strong contender for defense secretary or another high-ranking job. On Friday it was announced that Trump had chosen Republican Senator Jeff Sessions to be attorney general, retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn to be national security adviser and Republican Congressman Mike Pompeo to head the CIA. Trump announced on Sunday he would make Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus his White House chief of staff and named Stephen Bannon, former head of the conservative website Breitbart News, as his chief strategist and senior counselor.Conservative radio talk show host Laura Ingraham said on Sunday she is being considered by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as White House press secretary.Ingraham said she has talked to Trump and she was privileged to be considered. “It’s an intriguing idea,” she said on “Fox News Sunday.” Ingraham defended the Trump transition team’s decision not to include a pool of reporters when he has traveled at times. She said the news media had been “stacking the deck against Trump” before the election. Below are more of the people mentioned as contenders for senior roles. TREASURY SECRETARYSteven Mnuchin, former Goldman Sachs Group Inc executive and Trump’s campaign finance chairman Jeb Hensarling, U.S. representative from Texas and chairman of the House Financial Services CommitteeJamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase & Co chief executive officerTom Barrack, founder and chairman of Colony Capital Inc SECRETARY OF STATEMitt Romney, 2012 presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City Nikki Haley, governor of South CarolinaJeff Sessions, U.S. senator from Alabama and early Trump supporter, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. BushBob Corker, U.S. senator from Tennessee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations CommitteeZalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq DEFENSE SECRETARYJames Mattis, retired Marine generalDavid Petraeus, ex-CIA director and retired generalTom Cotton, U.S. senator from Arkansas Jon Kyl, former U.S. senator from ArizonaDuncan Hunter, U.S. representative from California and early Trump supporter, member of the House Armed Services CommitteeJim Talent, former U.S. senator from Missouri who was on the Senate Armed Services Committee Kelly Ayotte, outgoing U.S. senator from New Hampshire and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee ATTORNEY GENERALJeff Sessions, senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who takes a hard line on immigration, was announced as the choice on Nov. 18. HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY Tom Price, U.S. representative from Georgia who is an orthopedic surgeonRick Scott, Florida governor Rich Bagger, former pharmaceutical executive and former top aide to New Jersey Governor Chris ChristieBobby Jindal, former Louisiana governor HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARYMichael McCaul, U.S. representative from Texas and chairman of the House Homeland Security CommitteeDavid Clarke, Milwaukee county sheriff and vocal Trump supporter Joe Arpaio, outgoing Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff who campaigned for Trump ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATORJeff Holmstead, energy lawyer, former EPA official during George W. Bush administration Mike Catanzaro, energy lobbyist, former EPA official during George W. Bush administrationRobert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas attorney generalCarol Comer, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management ENERGY SECRETARYHarold Hamm, Oklahoma oil and gas mogul, chief executive of Continental Resources Inc Kevin Cramer, U.S. Representative from North DakotaRobert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors Larry Nichols, co-founder of Devon Energy Corp James Connaughton, chief executive of Nautilus Data Technologies and a former environmental adviser to President George W. Bush INTERIOR SECRETARYSarah Palin, former Alaska governor, 2008 Republican vice presidential nomineeJan Brewer, former Arizona governorForrest Lucas, founder of oil products company Lucas OilHarold Hamm, Oklahoma oil and gas mogul, chief executive of Continental Resources Inc Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors COMMERCE SECRETARY Wilbur Ross, billionaire investor, chairman of Invesco Ltd subsidiary WL Ross & CoLinda McMahon, former World Wrestling Entertainment executive and two-time Senate candidate DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCERonald Burgess, retired lieutenant general and former Defense Intelligence Agency chief Robert Cardillo, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence AgencyPete Hoekstra, former U.S. representative from Michigan CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY DIRECTORRepublican U.S. Representative Mike Pompeo was announced as the choice on Nov. 18. NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISERMichael Flynn, retired lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, was announced as the choice on Nov. 18. UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADORKelly Ayotte, outgoing U.S. senator from New Hampshire and member of the Senate Armed Services CommitteeRichard Grenell, former spokesman for the United States at the United Nations Peter King, U.S. representative from New York U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE Dan DiMicco, former chief executive of steel producer Nucor Corp SUPREME COURT VACANCY The Trump transition team confirmed he would choose from the list of 21 names he drew up during his campaign, including U.S. Senator Mike Lee of Utah, and William Pryor, a federal judge with the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. LABOR SECRETARYVictoria Lipnic, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission commissioner and former Labor Department official during the George W. Bush administration.Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants.