Contenders for key jobs in Trump administration

Contenders for key jobs in Trump administration

© Mark Kauzlarich / Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New names for possible appointees to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet have emerged, including 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney as secretary of state, as he works to fill administration positions ahead of his inauguration on Jan. 20.

A senior Trump official said the job of national security adviser has been offered to retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn.

Trump announced on Sunday he would hire Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff and named Stephen Bannon, former head of the conservative website Breitbart News, as his chief strategist and senior counselor.

Below are people mentioned as contenders for senior roles.

TREASURY SECRETARY

* Steven 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 Committee

* Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase & Co chief executive officer

* Tom Barrack, founder and chairman of Colony Capital Inc

SECRETARY OF STATE

* Mitt Romney, 2012 presidential nominee and former Massachusetts governor

* Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City

* Nikki Haley, governor of South Carolina

* Jeff 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. Bush

* Bob Corker, U.S. senator from Tennessee and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

* Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq

DEFENSE SECRETARY

* Jeff Sessions, U.S. senator from Alabama and early Trump supporter, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee

* Tom Cotton, U.S. senator from Arkansas

* Jon Kyl, former U.S. senator from Arizona

* Duncan Hunter, U.S. representative from California and early Trump supporter, member of the House Armed Services Committee

* Jim 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 GENERAL

* Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City

* Ted Cruz, U.S. senator from Texas

* Jeff Sessions, senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who takes a hard line on immigration

* Kris Kobach, Kansas secretary of state, architect of anti-immigration efforts who says he is advising Trump on immigration issues

* Pam Bondi, Florida attorney general

* Trey Gowdy, U.S. representative from South Carolina who headed the House committee that investigated the 2012 attacks on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya

* Henry McMaster, lieutenant governor of South Carolina

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY

* Tom Price, U.S. representative from Georgia who is an orthopedic surgeon

* Rick Scott, Florida governor

* Rich Bagger, former pharmaceutical executive and former top aide to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

* Bobby Jindal, former Louisiana governor

HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY

* Michael McCaul, U.S. representative from Texas and chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee

* David Clarke, Milwaukee county sheriff and vocal Trump supporter

* Joe Arpaio, outgoing Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff who campaigned for Trump

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADMINISTRATOR

* Jeff Holmstead, energy lawyer, former EPA official during George W. Bush administration

* Mike Catanzaro, energy lobbyist, former EPA official during George W. Bush administration

* Robert Grady, venture capitalist, partner in private equity firm Gryphon Investors

* Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas attorney general

* Carol Comer, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management

ENERGY SECRETARY

* Harold Hamm, Oklahoma oil and gas mogul, chief executive of Continental Resources Inc

* Kevin Cramer, U.S. Representative from North Dakota

* Robert 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 SECRETARY

* Sarah Palin, former Alaska governor, 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee

* Jan Brewer, former Arizona governor

* Forrest Lucas, founder of oil products company Lucas Oil

* Harold 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 & Co

* Linda McMahon, former World Wrestling Entertainment executive and two-time Senate candidate

DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

* Ronald Burgess, retired lieutenant general and former Defense Intelligence Agency chief

* Robert Cardillo, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

* Pete Hoekstra, former U.S. representative from Michigan

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY DIRECTOR

* Pete Hoekstra, former U.S. representative from Michigan

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER

* Michael Flynn, retired lieutenant general and former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, was offered the job, according to a senior Trump official.

UNITED NATIONS AMBASSADOR

* Kelly Ayotte, outgoing U.S. senator from New Hampshire and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee

* Richard 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 SECRETARY

* Victoria 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.

(Reporting by Caren Bohan; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Paul Tait)

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