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Harrington on Trump Transition, Whether Romney Will Be Offered Cabinet Post

November 18, 2016

Washington Free Beacon reporter Elizabeth Harrington told Fox News' Neil Cavuto on Friday that she was not entirely convinced this weekend's meeting between President-elect Donald Trump and Mitt Romney would end in a cabinet position offer.

Harrington first pointed out the importance of the meeting, citing that maybe the location at Trump's golf course in New Jersey will help to ease the strain in their relationship.

"But it is a beautiful location and should help to kind of smooth over some of the rough and tumble comments that came with each Trump and Romney, what they said about each other during the campaign," Harrington said. "So maybe it will smooth some things over."

"Do you think a cabinet position is seriously in the offering here?" Cavuto asked.

She said she was not convinced.

"I'm not really convinced that it is that serious," Harrington said. "I mean, honestly, Trump's inner circle is so close on this that they're not really giving much information away. But, I do think it's very smart for Trump to do this. I think he's being very methodical in this process."

Cavuto asked what Trump's motive would be if he did offer Romney a position, given the hostile relationship between the two in the past.

"But do you think that's going to actually happen?" Cavuto asked. "Let's say a cabinet position were offered. Why would Donald Trump offer it to a guy, they've had this bad relationship, but furthermore, let's say it were secretary of state. They're diametrically opposed on key issues, including Russia and how seriously each views that, you know, obviously Donald Trump feels he can work with Vladimir Putin. Mitt Romney, much like President Obama, says not really and on and on. Could they work together there?"

Harrington said the narrative that Trump is very pro-Putin is not the case.

"I think a lot of this idea that Trump is somehow sort of very pro-Putin, I think is not the case," she said. "I do think they have some differences in the way they've talked about it, but it's also very rich for President Obama to come out and say that Trump needs to be very wary of Russia when he made fun of Mitt Romney in the debate–"

Cavuto interjected to agree with her.

Harrington continued, saying that it remains to be seen if Romney will be offered a position.

"I think Trump is very level-headed about these things and is going to want to listen to people that think differently from him," she said. "I mean, whether it remains to be seen if he'd be offered a job, but we've heard other talks and rumors that Romney could be a good fit for the [Department of Veterans Affairs] that needs a lot of turning around which is Romney's trademark. This meeting is just to open up and get some advice from the former Republican nominee."