Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani No Longer In The Running For Trump Cabinet Position
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/CBS News) -- Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani is no longer in the running for a position in Donald Trump's incoming administration, the president-elect said in a statement Friday.
Following a meeting on Nov. 29, Giuliani removed his name from consideration.
"Rudy Giuliani is an extraordinarily talented and patriotic American. I will always be appreciative of his 24/7 dedication to our campaign after I won the primaries and for his extremely wise counsel. 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," Trump said in the statement.
Giuliani will continue to serve as the vice chairman of the presidential transition team.
"I joined the campaign because I love my country and because having known Donald Trump as a friend for 28 years and observing what he has been able to accomplish, I had no doubt he would be a great President. This is not about me; it is about what is best for the country and the new administration. Before I joined the campaign I was very involved and fulfilled by my work with my law firm and consulting firm, and I will continue that work with even more enthusiasm. From the vantage point of the private sector, I look forward to helping the President-elect in any way he deems necessary and appropriate," Giuliani said of his decision.
Giuliani, a foreign policy hawk who ran for president in 2008, was thought to have been the early front-runner for Secretary of State. Since last month, however, several other names have been floated as potential picks, including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson.
The incoming White House Chief of Staff, Reince Priebus, said Giuliani was vetted for any possible conflicts and "passed with flying colors."
Soon after news broke that Giuliani had bowed out, he was already discouraging Mr. Trump from choosing one of the candidates. In light of the intense criticism Romney leveled at Mr. Trump during the campaign, "My advice would be Mitt went just a little bit too far," he told Fox News' Neil Cavuto Friday afternoon.