Report: Giuliani favorite to be secretary of State

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the top choice to be President-elect Donald Trump’s secretary of State, The Associated Press reported Monday night.

{mosads}A senior Trump official told the AP the job is Giuliani’s if he wants it.

Giuliani was a top Trump surrogate on the campaign trail and his name has been mentioned as a possible administration member.

The former federal prosecutor had been mentioned as a top choice for U.S. attorney general — especially given his focus on a Trump administration prosecuting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server while secretary of State. But he made comments at a recent event in Washington signaling that he didn’t want that position.

John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is reportedly also considered a leading contender for head of the State Department. Bolton is known for his hawkish foreign policy and penned an op-ed last year calling for the U.S. to bomb Iran to stop its nuclear program.

During a Monday night interview on Fox News, former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said he doesn’t have any news to offer about Giuliani’s potential administration role but noted that he was one of Trump’s closest surrogates and “worked his heart out.”

“I have no information, but if Rudy wants it, he’ll get it,” Gingrich, himself a likely member of the Trump administration, told host Megyn Kelly on Monday’s “The Kelly File.”

“I thought he’d might prefer attorney general, where he would be brilliant, or Homeland Security, where his experience at 9/11 would be great,” he said. “I think it’ll be fabulous to have him as secretary of State.”