New York Rep. Peter King declined Wednesday to say if he would consider being secretary of Homeland Security if approached by President-elect Trump.
King said on MSNBC that he hasn’t had any conversations with Trump about a possible Cabinet post and that he’s happy serving in the House.
“I haven’t asked for anything, I haven’t been offered anything,” King said. “It’s certainly arrogant to say that I would accept anything, it’s not anywhere on my horizon. I love being in Congress.”
King was also asked about Trump’s process of filling out national security posts in his administration and was largely complimentary of his fellow Republican’s choices.
He praised retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, rumored to be in the running for secretary of defense post, as a “soldier’s soldier and a marine’s marine.”
“Mattis is going to be very solid,” King said. “He is both a soldier and a scholar.”
He said Mattis would be willing to use the country’s military, but he’s not going to be flippant about doing so.
“He also realizes you can’t just send troops in and hope for a quick victory,” King said. “If you’re going to do it, you have to do it and if you’re not going to take the actions necessary, don’t do it.”
King also urged Trump to consider bringing former Central Intelligence Agency director and retired Army Gen. David Petraeus back into the fold.
Petraeus was forced into retirement due to his sharing of classified information with his biographer and mistress, but had been the architect of the 2007 surge in Iraq and commanded all troops in Afghanistan as well. King said those issues shouldn’t distract from Petraeus’ usefulness as a general.
“He’s such a tremendous asset to this country, because of personal issues he’s been an unused asset, but we should put that behind us,” King said.
