Donald Trump has selected Rick Perry to be energy secretary, according to two sources directly involved in the transition and selection process.
He had been summoned to Trump Tower for a meeting Monday to discuss the position after having been contacted over the weekend. The meeting was only finalized on Sunday.
The other contenders for the position were Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, and Ray Washburne, a key Trump fundraiser, former RNC finance chair, restaurateur and investor in oil and gas operations.
The piece goes on to note that Perry sits on the board of Energy Transfer Partners, which is involved in the North Dakota pipeline liberals are performing their current pipeline freakout over, then spends several paragraphs talking about that, because of course they did.
Perry was an extraordinarily effective governor who made the mistake of running for President while hopped up on goofballs and never recovered from it. He constantly fought the EPA to keep Texas exempt from that agency’s more outlandish policies and was an outspoken advocate of fracking. He should be a very solid Secretary of Energy and, as a bonus, will probably become one of the Trump cabinet officials most hated by liberals.
Trump’s cabinet picks so far seem both reasonable and salted with more movement conservatives than you might have guessed in, say, July. Trump also seems to be pursuing a “Team of Rivals” concept, selecting strong, well-known political figures over those from his own circles. Perry is a serious pick for a serious cabinet.
Tags: Department of Energy, Donald Trump, pipeline, Republicans, Rick Perry, Texas, Trump Cabinet