Conservatives should fight talk of Romney in the Cabinet, says Freedom Caucus member | McClatchy Washington Bureau

U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, an ultra-conservative Republican from North Carolina, says talk of President-elect Donald Trump considering former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for U.S. secretary of state is “the kind of thing we need to fight back against.”

Meadows made the comment Monday during a TV interview with Lou Dobbs of Fox Business Network when he was asked about the possibility of “establishment” Republicans influencing Trump’s transition team and picks for senior-level White House jobs.

“I got a text just this morning from someone who was out door-knocking for Donald Trump . . . and he said, ‘Well, are they going to go with Romney and bypass (Rudy) Giuliani? I certainly hope not – I thought things were going to be different,’ ” Meadows said on Fox.

Trump is reportedly considering at least three people for the secretary of state post. Those names are Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee; Giuliani, a former New York mayor and close Trump adviser; and former CIA Director David Petraeus.

Meadows praised Trump’s picks for Cabinet positions so far, including selecting Alabama U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions for attorney general and Georgia U.S. Rep. Tom Price to lead the federal Health and Human Services Department.

But, Romney under consideration to serve as top diplomat and a lead voice on foreign policy issues? “That's the kind of thing that we need to fight back against,” Meadows said.

He added: “Donald Trump has made outstanding picks for his Cabinet. I have faith in him that he'll do the right thing.”

Meadows used Trump’s popular “drain the swamp” catchphrase and said Americans had a “deficit of trust” in Washington. Meadows, from North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District in the western part of the state, is a leading conservative voice in Republican politics in Congress. He is a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.