President Trump has added a new name to the list of candidates for Veterans Affairs secretary, a sign that his search to fill the vacancy is nowhere near its conclusion, according to two sources close to the situation.
Until this week, White House officials have been looking closely at acting VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, former House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., Ron Nichol, a senior adviser to the Boston Consulting Group who worked on Trump’s presidential transition, and Sam Spagnolo, president of the National Association of Veterans Affairs Physicians and Dentists.
But a White House official on Thursday confirmed that Congressman Brian Mast, R-Fla., was also being considered for the position.
The 37-year-old double amputee served in Afghanistan before making his way to Capitol Hill, later becoming the first lawmaker to open an office for constituents inside a VA medical center. Placing Mast at a slight disadvantage over other candidates is his current battle for re-election in Florida’s 18th Congressional District, where his departure for a Cabinet-level job would put Republicans at a greater risk of losing the seat.
“That’s certainly being taken into consideration,” a White House official told the Washington Examiner. The official declined to say if Mast was a leading contender for the VA job, and described the process as “far from over.”
White House aides met separately with Miller and Nichol earlier this month, after the president’s original pick for the position, White House physician Ronny Jackson, withdrew his nomination due to allegations of excessive drinking and the reckless distribution of prescription drugs.
One source close to the president said Miller had impressed both the White House and veterans groups with whom he’d spoken.
“The initial hesitation was that he’s not a veteran himself, and so he wouldn’t fit central casting, but we’re past that,” the source said. “I did not hear a single negative thing about their [Miller and Trump] meeting.”
The source continued, “Right now, they’re looking at who would be best for the job in terms of implementing the president’s agenda. But the second part is finding someone who really wants to do it and is passionate about the opportunity, and [Miller] enthusiastically gets it.”
Miller declined to comment when reached by email.
The president has said publicly he’s searching for someone with political experience who can navigate the choppy waters of Senate confirmation, particularly after Jackson’s withdrawal and the tense confirmation process that is currently underway for his CIA director nominee.
Trump, who complained repeatedly earlier this month about the collapse of Jackson’s nomination, has since delegated the task of finding a new VA chief to his senior staff.
