NEW YORK, Dec. 9 (UPI) — Former New York City Mayor Rudolph W. L. Giuliani will not be Donald Trump‘s secretary of state — or any other executive in his Cabinet, transition team officials said Friday.
A reported frontrunner for one of Trump’s remaining vacancies, most notably chief of the State Department, Giuliani has instead withdrawn from any Cabinet consideration. Transition officials said he removed his name from the list Nov. 29.
A staunch supporter of Trump, Giuliani said his decision to withdraw is based on a concern for the greater good.
“This is not about me; it is about what is best for the country and the new administration,” he said in a statement.
Trump said although Giuliani is out of his Cabinet, the popular GOP figure will likely become some kind of a member of the new administration, which takes office Jan. 20.
“I will always be appreciative of his 24/7 dedication to our campaign after I won the primaries and for his extremely wise counsel,” Trump said. “He is, and continues to be, a close personal friend, and as appropriate, I will call upon him for advice and can see an important place for him in the administration at a later date.”
The former mayor’s departure increases the likelihood that former GOP presidential candidate and onetime Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney might be the pick to lead the State Department.
Also Friday, it was reported that Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn will be Trump’s choice for director of the National Economic Council — the top White House economic adviser to the president.
Cohn, who is also chief operating officer at the investment house, would join two other Goldman Sachs alum in the upper ranks of the Trump administration — treasury appointee Steven Mnuchin and senior White House counsel Steve Bannon.
