WMAL Interview - ROBERT COSTA - 11.16.16

INTERVIEW - ROBERT COSTA - a national political reporter at The Washington Post

COSTA: Ben Carson is unlikely to serve in Trump’s Cabinet. “The way I’m leaning is to work from the outside and not from the inside,” Carson said in an interview.

COSTA: Pence replaces Christie as leader of Trump transition effort The transition shake-up will substantially dilute the influence of Christie and add a conservative edge to the upper level of Trump’s team.

COSTA: Trump maps out a new administration to bring a seismic shift to Washington Trump starts assembling a White House, crafting a 100-day plan and reaching out to allies.

TWEETS:

Robert Costa ‏@costareports 14h14 hours ago Sen. Cruz for SCOTUS? Sen. Graham says it's a possibility. Calls Texan "young and in the mold of Scalia." Cruz was at Trump Tower today.

Robert Costa ‏@costareports 19h19 hours ago At Trump Tower, the Sessions bloc is rising. Influential in transition. Impt to remember this part of his agenda.

Robert Costa ‏@costareports 20h20 hours ago Ben Carson tells me he's unlikely to serve in Trump’s Cabinet: “work from the outside and not from the inside”

TRUMP TRANSITION:

Ben Carson says no to serving in Trump administration. WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Former presidential candidate Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, said he will not likely join Donald Trump's upcoming administration. Carson has served as an adviser to Trump since the end of the Republican primaries. On Tuesday, he suggested he would rather work on issues independently than under a Trump administration. "The way I'm leaning is to work from the outside and not from the inside," Carson told The Washington Post. "I want to have the freedom to work on many issues and not be pigeonholed into one particular area."

Firings and Discord Put Trump Transition Team in a State of Disarray. (NY Times) -- Two officials who had been handling national security for the transition, former Representative Mike Rogers of Michigan and Matthew Freedman, a lobbyist who consults with corporations and foreign governments, were fired. Both were part of what officials described as a purge orchestrated by Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser.

Mnuchin Said to Be Top Treasury Pick Among Trump’s Advisers. (Bloomberg) -- Former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. partner Steven Mnuchin has been recommended by Donald Trump’s transition team to serve as Treasury secretary, according to two people familiar with the process, and the choice is awaiting the president-elect’s final decision. Mnuchin, the campaign’s national finance chairman, has been considered the leading candidate for the job. Trump has displayed a pattern of loyalty to his closest campaign allies in early administration selections, and Mnuchin, 53, had signed on at a time when many from Wall Street stayed away.

Ted Cruz Considered by Trump for Attorney General. (Bloomberg) - President-elect Donald Trump is considering nominating Texas Senator Ted Cruz to serve as U.S. attorney general, according to a person familiar with the matter. Cruz, 45, was at Trump Tower in New York on Tuesday. When approached by reporters on his way out, Cruz said the election was a mandate for change but didn’t say he was under consideration for a job.

RAND PAUL: John Bolton is 'totally unfit' for secretary of state, and Rudy Giuliani is 'very similar' Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky on Tuesday condemned two of President-elect Donald Trump's rumored candidates for secretary of state. Paul, a Republican who made a failed bid for the White House in 2016, lambasted former UN Ambassador John Bolton and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani — both of whom have been reported to be top contenders for secretary of state. After calling Bolton a "menace" in an op-ed earlier Tuesday, Paul told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that Bolton was "totally unfit" to be secretary of state.

Rebekah Mercer, Daughter of Major Donor, Named to Trump Role. (Bloomberg) -- Rebekah Mercer, whose wealthy family has sought for years to reshape conservative politics with a populist, anti-establishment message, was named to President-Elect Donald Trump’s transition team. Mercer, the 42-year-old daughter of New York hedge-fund manager Robert Mercer, will serve as one of 16 members of the team’s executive committee, the group said in a statement Friday. It’s a sign of how the Mercers’ longstanding effort to influence the direction of the Republican Party is paying off. Robert Mercer made his fortune as co-CEO of Renaissance Technologies, one of the most profitable hedge funds in history. Armed with her father’s money, Rebekah Mercer oversaw a pro-Trump political action committee that poured millions of dollars into advertising during the run-up to Tuesday’s election.