Kellyanne Conway, senior adviser to President-elect Trump, criticized Mitt Romney on Sunday and suggested the 2012 GOP nominee would not make a good choice for secretary of state.
Conway cited “the number of people who feel betrayed to think that Gov. Romney would get the most prominent Cabinet post” during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“It’s just breathtaking in scope and intensity, the type of messages I’ve received from all over the country,” she added.
“He went out of his way to hurt Donald Trump,” Conway said of Romney during an earlier appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”
“I only wish Gov. Romney had been as critical of Hillary Clinton,” she said.
.@KellyannePolls on Mitt Romney: "I don't think a cost of admission for party unity has to be the secretary of state position." #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/n923dwgT9y— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 27, 2016
Romney has emerged as a serious contender for Trump’s secretary of state, as has longtime Trump ally Rudy Giuliani.
Conway has taken a public stand against the selection of Romney, although she has said she will stand behind whatever decision Trump ultimately makes.
“This is Trump’s party now, and he won states that Mitt Romney lost,” she said. “He won Michigan, Mitt Romney lost it by 10.
“I don’t think the cost of admission for party unity had to be the secretary of state position,” she added.
Later, Conway noted on social media that the pushback on Romney as a potential Cabinet pick had been “breathtaking.”
I did tell him privately. And I’ll respect his decision. Point is the volume & intensity of grassroots resistance to Romney is breathtaking https://t.co/bknmfGZ13a
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) November 27, 2016
Trump’s team has not laid out a timeline for when the secretary of state announcement will be made.
