Top Donald Trump aide Kellyanne Conway said she is receiving a deluge of comments about the possibility of Mitt Romney being selected as secretary of State.
“Receiving deluge of social media & private comms re: Romney,” Conway said, linking to a story about Trump loyalists who are unhappy with the possibility.
She also stressed loyalty as a key trait for a secretary of State in a follow-up tweet.
{mosads}Conway told CNN that her tweets reflect the private discussions she’s had with Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence.
“I am struck by the intensity and volume of resistance [to Romney] from the grassroots; words like ‘betrayal,’” Conway said. “I communicate with PEOTUS and VPEOTUS privately and regularly so this is not an attempt to do so publicly as some (who missed the election completely) are suggesting.”
She said she respects “completely” that these “weighty decisions” rest with Trump, “a man whose political instincts and unconventional campaign defied the critics and made history.”
Some Trump supporters and allies have tried to steer the President-elect from nominating Romney as the U.S.’s chief diplomat.
Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee, was highly critical of Trump during the campaign and called him a “phony,” and a “fraud” and dedicated an entire speech in March to denouncing his candidacy.
“He attacked [Trump] on a personal level about his character, his integrity, his honor,” Trump supporter Mike Huckabee said on “Fox & Friends” Wednesday.
The former Arkansas governor added that it would be a “real insult” to Trump voters if Romney was nominated to be secretary of State.
Other Trump supporters, like former Speaker Newt Gingrich, have said they favor former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the job.
“I think that, if you want someone who is going to go out and be a very tough negotiator for America and represent American interest in the way that Trump campaigned, I think that probably Rudy is the better pick and has the right temperament.”
–This report was updated at 11:28 a.m.