WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 4, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman appears to be in the running for the job of U.S. Secretary of State, according to a report filed by CNN.
Although the report cites unnamed sources within the ranks of President-elect Trump’s transition team, Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s senior advisor acknowledged Sunday — without naming Huntsman — the list of prospective candidates had grown beyond the four names currently being considered: former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former New York City Mayor Rudi Giuliani, former CIA director David Petraeus and U.S. Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee.
“It’s true that he (Trump) has broadened the search for secretary of state …. He continues to talk to different people …. This week we’ll have additional interviews with other candidates for secretary of state,” Conway told reporters in the lobby of Trump Tower.
Perhaps not so coincidentally, Huntsman, the ex-U.S. ambassador to China under Barack Obama, tried to calm the diplomatic waters stirred earlier this week when President-elect Trump accepted a phone call from Taiwan’s leader — a move many believe risks riling the Chinese leadership.
In a Saturday appearance of “Fox News and Friends,” Huntsman downplayed the event’s significance.
“Having lived in Taiwan twice and having lived in China once, there’s a little too much hyperventilating about this one,” Huntsman said. “But the issue should be this — does Taiwan deserve a little more space? We share values, they have a big economy, we trade, we have a civil society that is large and robust and mature, and we ought to be giving them a little more space.”
