Conway Again Warns Trump Not to Pick Romney for State

It’s not only Washington captivated by Trump’s showmanship.

The prospective candidates touted most frequently have been erstwhile Trump critic and former MA governor Mitt Romney, celebrated general yet scandal-clad former Central Intelligence Agency director David Petraeus, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker and outspoken former NY mayor Rudy Giuliani.

“There is no timetable set”.

Republican strategist and political commentator Ana Navarro tweeted that Conway’s public comments were “astounding to hear” but later said during a discussion on CNN that she believes they were part of a “coordinated Trump strategy to put Mitt Romney in his place”.

Mnuchin’s official announcement was expected as early as Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the decision who insisted on anonymity in order to confirm the pick ahead of time.

In addition to the public staffing spat, the campaign was forced Monday to defend Trump’s baseless assertions of illegal voting, made in angry response to a recount effort. He dined on frog legs, scallops and gourmet chocolate cake with Trump at an upscale Manhattan restaurant Tuesday evening.

Appointing Romney would signal that Trump is throwing overboard his new conservative-populist coalition and resuscitating the dying Republican establishment voters so thoroughly rejected during the 2016 primary season.

In a March speech, the 2012 GOP nominee called Trump a “con man” and a “fake”, and said the “prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished” if Trump were the party’s nominee.

Trump seemed please. Upon leaving the dinner, he was asked by CNN’s Jim Acosta whether Romney might be his next secretary of state. Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway has warned that it would be a “betrayal” to Trump supporters if he selected Romney, who was a severe critic of the president-elect during the campaign. Ms. Haley, the daughter of Sikh immigrants, clashed with Trump over his comments about Mexicans and Muslims and endorsed Sens. The extraordinary public nature of the effort has also stirred speculation that it could be a Trump-approved attempt to humiliate a prominent Republican who staunchly opposed him throughout the presidential campaign. Trump gave as good as he got.

Trump won praise from Republicans Tuesday for his pick of Price to serve as health and human services secretary. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who is getting new attention from Trump’s team.

The lingering diplomatic psychodrama means more torment for Giuliani. The 2012 Republican nominee was one of Trump’s harshest critics, at one point calling him a “phony” and a “fraud” on the campaign trail. He also spoke highly of Petraeus, as a possible third option. During the campaign, Trump repeatedly used the news of Carrier’s plans to move some business to Mexico as criticism of Democratic trade policies.

Thickening the plot, John Bolton, the former USA permanent representative to the United Nations, was seen arriving at transition headquarters in Washington for a meeting with Pence on Wednesday.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice showed up at the transition offices as well.

Politico described the dinner as a relatively easy-going affair.

Trump, however, isn’t quite ready to quit orchestrating intrigue.

Today, as Pagliuca and other Romney backers see it, Trump, 70, and the 69-year-old Romney had far more in common than many realize: Both came to prominence as risk takers and dealmakers, and both have spent much of their lives seeking to emulate and outdo the success of their famous fathers.