Romney confirms he won’t be secretary of State

by Lisa Hagen - 12/12/16 8:57 PM ET

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will not be Donald Trump’s secretary of State.

The 2012 GOP presidential nominee posted about the position Monday night on Facebook, saying, “It was an honor to have been considered for Secretary of State of our great country.”

The president-elect called Romney on Monday to tell him he won’t get the job, as first reported by Bloomberg.

Scoop: Trump called Romney to tell him he’s not getting post, I’m told.
Pres-elect expressed nothing but respect for him in recent days.

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) December 13, 2016

Trump tweeted on Monday night that he’ll announce his pick to helm the State Department on Tuesday morning.

{mosads}Romney was on the shortlist for the Cabinet post until the end, Bloomberg reported.

ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who met with Trump Saturday at Trump Tower, is widely expected to be tapped for the administration role.

Close Trump confidante and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich posted on Facebook Monday night about the CEO, in what may be a hint about Tuesday’s announcement.

“Rex Tillerson will be an extremely effective Secretary of State. He knows the world, he knows how to make deals internationally, and although it’s hard for the Washington elites to comprehend that Donald J. Trump could nominate someone who is not a bureaucrat, Tillerson has exactly the right kind of determination and toughness we need to fix the State Department,” he wrote.

Trump’s consideration of Romney to serve as the nation’s top diplomat created a split within his inner circle. The former Massachusetts governor was a frequent antagonist of the businessman and called him a “phony” during the campaign.

Incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus had defended Romney while he was in the mix, while former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway was publicly critical of him and questioned his loyalty to Trump.

Another faction of Trump’s team backed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the role. Giuliani is a close ally to Trump, but it was reported last week that the former mayor had removed himself from consideration for any Cabinet position.

Other State Department contenders included Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and former CIA Director David Petraeus.

Updated 9:41 p.m.

Tags Bob Corker Donald Trump