Report: Trump picks Rick Perry for energy secretary

(Image credit: Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images)

published 13 December 2016

The Republican former governor of Texas, Rick Perry, has been chosen by Donald Trump to be energy secretary, people involved with the selection process told CBS News Monday.

In recent weeks, Perry attended several meetings with Trump, including one Monday at Trump Tower in Manhattan. Perry sits on two corporate boards, including Energy Transfer Partners, whose subsidiary is trying to build the Dakota Access Pipeline. Ray Washburne, a former finance chair of the Republican National Committee and a major Trump fundraiser, and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) were also contenders for the position.

Perry is a surprising choice, considering he forgot, while running for president in 2011, that the Department of Energy was one of the three agencies he'd eliminate. During a Republican debate, Perry was able to remember he wanted to get rid of the Commerce and Education departments, but stumbled over his third choice, eventually muttering "oops" and moving on. Later, he updated the crowd that he finally recalled "it was the Department of Energy that I was reaching for before."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox