Report: Trump Cabinet, Top Administration Candidates Include Palin, Bondi, Carson, Huckabee

Trump Claims He Hires Only ‘The Best People’ but Many Have Little to No Relevant Experience for Positions

Donald Trump repeatedly has said he hires only “the best people,” but time and time again that has proven to be false. On Tuesday, for example, the Trump campaign went to court to challenge ballots in four heavily-Hispanic Nevada polling locations. Instead of hiring an attorney specializing in election law, Trump hired “a construction and commercial insurance lawyer and construction and family law attorney.” Trump lost. Bigly.

a list of 41 names the president-elect is considering for Cabinet and top-level administration positions clearly reflects his desire to reward supporters rather than hire experts qualified for the jobs.

Buzzfeed obtained the list, noting that “political appointments, cabinet-level positions typically require some level of expertise in the issues they cover. Most of the candidates either have at least nominal experience in their issue areas.”

For example, Sarah Palin is on the list as a possible Secretary of the Interior. Palin’s political career has been focused not on protecting the environment or state and federal lands, but getting oil and gas out of the ground. 

Mike Huckabee is listed as a candidate for Secretary of Commerce, despite having never run a business or negotiated trade deals.

As a possible Secretary of Education, Ben Carson is one of only two candidates. Carson was the head of pediatric neurosurgery at a top teaching hospital, but even that doesn’t give him sufficient experience to be in charge of the nation’s Dept. of Education. Carson is also listed as a candidate to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Again, not a position he is qualified to hold.

Others might claim to have sufficient experience, which is easily debatable, but, like Trump and his top allies and surrogates, have questionable if not disgusting pasts. 

For Secretary of Agriculture, Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller, who on November 1 called Hillary Clinton a “c*nt” via Twitter. He first claimed his account was hacked, then blamed a staffer.

Via Buzzfeed: 

List of Potential Trump Cabinet Nominees:

Attorney General:

Gov. Chris Christie

Attorney General Pam Bondi

Sen. Jeff Sessions

Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Secretary of Commerce:

Christie

Former Nucor CEO Dan DiMicco

Businessman Lew Eisenberg

Former Gov. Mike Huckabee

Sen. David Purdue

Former Sen. Jim Talent

Agriculture Secretary:

Gov. Sam Brownback

National Council of Farmer Cooperatives CEO Chuck Conner

Gov. Dave Heineman

Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller

Former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue

Secretary of Education:

Ben Carson

Hoover Institution fellow William Evers

Secretary of Energy:

Venture Capitalist Robert Grady

Businessman Harold Hamm

Secretary of Health and Human Services:

Former New Jersey state Sen. Rich Bagger

Ben Carson

Newt Gingrich

Gov. Rick Scott

Secretary of Homeland Security:

Christie

Sheriff David Clarke

Secretary of the Interior:

Gov. Jan Brewer

Gov. Mary Fallin

Grady

Hamm

Oil Executive Forrest Lucas

Rep. Cynthia Lummis

Former Gov. Sarah Palin

Secretary of Defense:

Former Gen. Mike Flynn

Stephen Hadley

Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr.

Sessions

Former Sen. Jim Talent

Secretary of State:

John Bolton

Sen. Bob Corker

Gingrich

Treasury Secretary:

Rep. Jeb Hensarling

Businessman Carl Icahn

Banker Steven Mnuchin

Chief of Staff:

Reince Priebus

Director of Office of Management and Budget:

Sessions

Secretary of Labor:

EEOC Commissioner Victoria Lipnic

Veterans Affairs:

Rep. Jeff Miller

White House Counsel:

Donald McGahn