President-elect Joe Biden is considering some establishment Republicans to fill the role of commerce secretary in his administration in an attempt to reach out to conservatives, according to a report from Axios.
In its report, Axios considered those under consideration to be “Meg Whitman types.”
“Biden’s team is debating the political upside of an across-the-aisle pick, and it’s still very possible the president-elect will settle on an all-Democratic Cabinet, according to people familiar with the matter,” the report noted.
The report went on to note that “possible Republican picks like Whitman, the former Hewlett Packard CEO, are considered RINOs, or traitors, by the new Republican base.”
Whitman, a failed 2010 California Republican gubernatorial candidate, endorsed both Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 and Biden for president in 2020.
In 2016, the New York Times reported Whitman’s comments on Trump as a “dishonest demagogue” and compared him to Hitler and Mussolini, which she made at a private Republican donor #NeverTrump meeting in June.
Whitman has also previously supported Democrat candidates for office, including Antonio Villaraigosa for California governor in 2018.
In addition to its reporting, Axios stated “some Biden confidants are unconvinced there is a long-term benefit from selecting a Republican.”
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