Trump Meets with Ex-CIA Chief Petraeus as Possible Secretary of State
By Ken Schwartz November 28, 2016
President-elect Donald Trump met with another possible candidate for secretary of state Monday, and one who is likely to raise some tough questions from the U.S. Senate – former CIA chief and retired general David Petraeus.
Before leading the CIA, Petraeus was top U.S. commander in Iraq and led NATO forces in Afghanistan.
But he was forced to resign from the CIA in disgrace in 2012 after leaking classified information to his biographer, with whom he was having an affair.
Trump, Petraeus meet for hour
Despite Petraeus' past, Trump tweeted that he was "very impressed" with the retired general.
Petraeus told reporters he met with Trump in the president-elect's Manhattan office tower for about an hour.
"He basically walked us around the world, showed a great grasp of a variety of the challenges that are out there and some of the opportunities as well ... we'll see where it goes from here."
Despite his long experience as a top U.S. military commander and intelligence chief, Petraeus likely will face tough questions about his integrity from the Senate, which must approve a president's choice of secretary of state.
Giuliani interested in post
Petraeus was fined $100,000 and given two years' probation after pleading guilty to charges of mishandling classified information.
Trump had complained that while the FBI failed to prosecute Hillary Clinton for her mishandling of classified information, Petraeus was punished for a lot less.
Trump is reported to be considering a group of other politicians and diplomats as his secretary of state. They include former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is said to be highly interested in the job, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, Republican Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Corker, and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
The possibility of Romney is causing some controversy in the Trump transition camp and among Trump supporters.
The former governor and 2012 Republican nominee criticized Trump during the campaign as a "fraud" and "con man," and refused to publicly endorse him.
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