Michèle Flournoy, rumored to be on President-elect Trump’s short list to be the No. 2 at the Pentagon, is staying put, according to a statement from her think tank.
“Given recent media speculation, we wanted to clarify that Michèle Flournoy will remain CEO of [Center for a New American Security], a position in which she has exceeded our highest expectations,” according a statement from Kurt Campbell, chairman of CNAS’ Board of Directors, released Monday night.
“She has the utmost respect for General James Mattis. While she had several conversations with General Mattis about how she could support his success as the nominee for secretary of defense, she has no plans to return to government service at this time,” Campbell said.
“We at CNAS are deeply grateful to General Mattis for his service on the CNAS Board of Directors, and we wish him well in the period ahead,” Campbell added. “The board and staff will continue to rely on Michèle’s leadership to guide CNAS in this critical time.”
During the campaign, Flournoy was widely considered the front-runner to be Hillary Clinton’s secretary of defense. Reports began circulating late last week that Trump was eyeing her to serve under Mattis. The statement did not make clear whether Trump was actually considering Flournoy for a Pentagon job, or whether she was taking herself out of contention.
Before going to CNAS, Flournoy was undersecretary for policy from 2009 to 2012 at the Pentagon, after leading President Obama’s transition team at the Defense Department.
