Richardson emerges as top commerce secretary candidate
A senior Democratic official said today that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has emerged as a serious contender for commerce secretary in President-elect Barack Obama's Cabinet.
Richardson had been in the running for secretary of state, but is under consideration for commerce now that Obama plans to nominate Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state after Thanksgiving.
The official with knowledge of the private Cabinet discussions spoke on background because the deliberations are not final.
Richardson is a prominent Hispanic leader who endorsed Obama after dropping his own presidential bid this year.
An aide to Obama’s transition team said Thursday the president-elect is on track to nominate Clinton as secretary of state after Thanksgiving.
One week after the former primary rivals met secretly to discuss the idea of Clinton becoming the nation’s top diplomat, the two sides were moving quickly toward making it a reality barring any unforeseen problems.
The transition aide said they have worked out financial disclosure issues that involved her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and the complicated international funding of his foundation that operates in 27 nations. The aide said the two have had substantive conversations about the post.
As for the incoming administration’s national security team, the aide said, possible appointments are being worked out and no formal announcements will be made before Thanksgiving.
Obama is likely to choose Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano to be secretary of homeland security, top Obama advisers and several Democrats said as the shape of Obama’s Cabinet begins to emerge.
The Obama advisers cautioned that no final decision has been made on putting Napolitano in charge of the Homeland Security Department, the massive agency created by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But they said she was by far the top contender.
As governor, Napolitano, who once was Arizona’s attorney general, has fought to curb illegal immigration, but she has been skeptical that building a fence along the border with Mexico will solve the problem. She once said, “You build a 50-foot wall, somebody will find a 51-foot ladder.”
Last year, her state passed a law that requires all Arizona businesses to use the federal online database, E-Verify, to confirm that new hires have valid Social Security numbers and are eligible for employment. This requirement has been a cornerstone of the Bush administration’s immigration policy.
Napolitano also has overseen her state’s efforts fighting wildfires and severe flooding and worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, now part of the Homeland Security Department.
So far, Obama has informally selected Washington lawyer Eric Holder for attorney general and former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle for health and human services secretary.
Among other Cabinet posts, senior Democrats said there is a strong possibility that Defense Secretary Robert Gates would stay temporarily and later give way to former Navy Secretary Richard Danzig. Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., also are said to be under consideration.
Democrats said several people remain possible for Treasury secretary, including Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Lawrence Summers, former Treasury secretary and one-time Harvard president; and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.
Chicago businesswoman Penny Pritzker, Obama’s national campaign finance chairman, denied she is a contender to become secretary of commerce.
