Trump Selects Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to Lead Energy Department

Trump Selects Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to Lead Energy Department
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry smiles as he leaves Trump Tower in New York on Dec. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
The Associated Press
12/13/2016
Updated:
12/13/2016

President-elect Donald Trump has selected former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to lead the Energy Department.

That’s according to two people with knowledge of the decision.

The two-time presidential candidate had been a harsh critic of Trump during the 2016 race, calling him a “cancer to conservatism.” He later endorsed the Republican nominee and said he'd be willing to work in a Trump administration.

Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn (L) chats with former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) and Trump attorney Michael D. Cohen in the lobby at Trump Tower on Dec. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Michael T. Flynn (L) chats with former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) and Trump attorney Michael D. Cohen in the lobby at Trump Tower on Dec. 12, 2016. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

One of Perry’s best-remembered moments from his first White House run was when he couldn’t remember in a debate the third of three federal agencies he promised to eliminate if elected. The one he forgot was the Energy Department.

The two people with knowledge of Trump’s pick insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the decision ahead of the official announcement.