Trump expected to pick Perry as Energy secretary

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to tap former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) as his secretary of Energy, according to multiple reports.

NEWS: @realDonaldTrump selects @GovernorPerry as Energy Secretary. Announcement forthcoming.

— Major Garrett (@MajorCBS) December 13, 2016

JUST IN: Donald Trump expected to name former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to be secretary of energy, senior transition officials tell @ABC. pic.twitter.com/4n6lrJNhas

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) December 13, 2016

The Associated Press and New York Times also reported the pick of Perry eraly Tuesday.

Perry met with the president-elect Monday at Trump Tower.

If Perry is confirmed, he would lead a 13,000-strong department whose main missions include funding energy research, overseeing the nation’s nuclear weapons and regulating energy efficiency.

{mosads}During a debate in 2011, when Perry was running in the Republican primary for president, he famously forgot the name of the Department of Energy.

At a primary debate, Perry tried to list three federal agencies he wanted to eliminate. But after listing the departments of Education and Commerce, he stumbled, saying, “The third one, I can’t. Sorry. Oops.”

Perry sits on the corporate board of Energy Transfer Partners, which is developing the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline.

The former Texas governor also ran against Trump in the Republican primary and was originally critical of the president-elect.

Before leaving the race, he called Trump a “barking carnival act” and characterized his candidacy a “cancer on conservatism.”

After dropping his bid, he endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). In May though, he vowed to “be open to any way” he could help, adding that he thinks Trump “should be our guy.”

– Updated at 10:06 a.m.