If Trump Taps Cruz For Cabinet, Political Dominoes To Fall
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DALLAS (CBS11) - Donald Trump's and Ted Cruz's verbal exchanges may have been the nastiest ever seen during presidential primaries.
But the two appear to have buried the hatchet, after Sen. Cruz was seen walking out of Trump Tower Tuesday amid a report Trump is considering him for Attorney General.
"Politics makes strange bedfellows. But what is true is Ted Cruz would make a good Attorney General," said former Dallas County Republican Party Chairman Wade Emmert.
But SMU political science professor Cal Jillson said he doubts that will happen.
"I would be surprised to see Ted Cruz as Attorney General because that's letting someone who wants your job behind you and politicians usually don't do that," said Jillson. "Whether Trump does that remains to be seen."
CBS11 emailed a spokesman for the Trump Transition team, but hadn't heard back as of Wednesday evening.
While Sen. Cruz didn't comment at Trump Tower Tuesday, spokeswoman Catherine Frazier said Tuesday night, "Senator Cruz is pleased to have the opportunity to meet with President-elect Trump in New York today. The American people issued a clear mandate to 'drain the swamp' in Washington, repeal Obamacare and start over with cost-effective, patient-centered health care reform, appoint Constitutionalist judges to the Supreme Court, secure our southern border and enforce immigration laws, and enact policies that will create more good-paying jobs for the American people. On behalf of the 27 million Texans he represents, the Senator looks forward to assisting the Trump administration in achieving these objectives."
Jillson said he believes a better fit for Cruz would be a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.
But Cruz has previously said he would not be interested in becoming a Justice.
If Cruz does join Trump's cabinet, Governor Greg Abbott would appoint someone to fill the Senate seat temporarily until it's up for election in 2018.
Allen Blakemore, a spokesman for Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, told CBS11 he's not interested in the job at all.
Blakemore said when he discussed the possibility Tuesday night, Patrick told him, "A firm and unequivocal, no."
Republican Congressman Michael McCaul of Austin, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, has not only been mentioned for Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security in a Trump administration, but for the Senate seat as well.
Jillson said, "We can expect Mike McCaul, the Congressman, who people are talking about challenging Cruz (in 2018), would probably jump in immediately."
When asked about Texas Land Commissioner, George P. Bush, Jillson said, "Very little experience, but the name recognition, the fundraising base to be competitive statewide, so it's up to Abbott. It's a strategic calculation: how do we hold this seat and how do we hold it for a very long time."
Emmert said Governor Abbott must also consider his own re-election in 2018.
"Whoever he appoints to these high-level positions, could affect that race. So you want someone who is likely going to get re-elected, someone who's not going to impair his ability to get re-elected," said Emmert.
Another Texan mentioned for a Trump cabinet post is former Governor Rick Perry, who campaigned for Trump during the weekend before election day.
Perry has said he would be interested for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, but Jillson says he could also be in the running for Secretary of Agriculture, a job Perry once held in Texas.
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