Petraeus says he’s willing to work for Trump

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Retired Gen. David Petraeus says in a new interview that he would be willing to work for President Trump under certain conditions.

In an interview with Politico Magazine, Petraeus says that he had in the past had discussions with Trump officials about serving either as secretary of State or national security adviser. For him to take a position, he said, “it would have to be a specific set of circumstances or be, frankly, certain conditions.”

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Petraeus wouldn’t specify what the conditions were, but said they were part of a conversation he had with Trump last year. He added he’d still be interested in serving under those conditions.

The retired general’s comments come amid mounting speculation about the future of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. In October, NBC News reported that Tillerson had called Trump a “f—ing moron;” while Tillerson has denied the remark, it appears to have further strained the relationship between the two men.  

A report earlier this month said the White House is eyeing a plan to replace Tillerson at the State Department, possibly with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

In the interview with Politico, Petraeus seemed to be critical of foreign policy moves Trump has made so far in office, in particular his declaration that America is winning the war against ISIS.

“There are other presidents who have also made some declarations that they undoubtedly wished that they hadn’t made,” Petraeus told Politico. He added that he worries about Trump’s “occasional ambivalence about what does ‘America First’ mean relative to the traditional role of the United States in the post-World War II era and particularly, in the post-Cold War era.”

Petraeus, who served as President Obama’s CIA Director, resigned in November 2012 after it was revealed he had a sexual relationship with his biographer and misled the FBI about the nature of their relationship.

He pleaded guilty that year to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified materials.

Tags David Petraeus Donald Trump Donald Trump ISIS Islamic State Mike Pompeo NBC News Rex Tillerson Rex Tillerson State Department White House

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