Trump Said To Pick Sen. Jeff Sessions For AG, Pompeo For CIA Director

NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump's transition activities (All times EST):

9 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump has offered the CIA director job to Mike Pompeo, a conservative Republican congressman from Kansas who has heavily criticized the Iran deal and was a member of the congressional committee that blasted Hillary Clinton over the attack in Benghazi, Libya.

8 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump is offering the post of attorney general to Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, one of the Trump's closest and most consistent allies.

That's according to a senior Trump official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the conversation.

The official on Friday wouldn't say whether Sessions had accepted the job, which left open the possibility that the arrangement was not finalized.

Trump Taps Conservative Kansas Congressman For CIA

Sessions was the first senator to endorse Trump and was a close adviser throughout the campaign.

Trump released a statement Thursday after a meeting with the senator saying he was "unbelievably impressed" with Sessions.

The Alabama Republican previously struggled with a Senate confirmation hearing when he was nominated for a federal judgeship in 1986.

He was dogged by racist comments he was accused of making while serving as U.S. attorney in Alabama.

He later withdrew from consideration for the post.
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6:50 a.m.

A Republican Party spokesman says President-elect Donald Trump is searching among "the best and brightest in the country" to set up his administration.

RNC communications director Sean Spicer tells Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" the billionaire businessman isn't "looking at someone's political affiliation, whether they supported him or not."

He was asked the question in the context of Trump's scheduled meeting this weekend with 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who earlier this year was a harsh critic of the real estate mogul.

Spicer wouldn't comment on whether Trump was set to offer Romney a position in the administration now being formed.

But when asked what the pair was expected to discuss, the Republican strategist said only that "they're going to have a conversation."

Spicer called Trump the "new sheriff in town" and said he's determined to bring qualified people into his administration.
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3:35 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump is offering former military intelligence chief Michael Flynn the position of national security adviser, elevating a fierce critic of current U.S. foreign policy into a crucial White House role.

Flynn's selection amounts to Trump's first signal to allies and adversaries about the course he could take in office. It's unclear whether

Flynn, a retired Army general, has accepted the job, though a senior transition official confirmed Thursday that the president-elect has made the offer. The official was not authorized to discuss the offer publicly and insisted on anonymity.

Flynn was a fierce critic of President Barack Obama's military and foreign policy long before he began advising Trump on national security issues during the presidential campaign. While the position of national security adviser doesn't require Senate confirmation, Flynn would work in the West Wing and have frequent access to the president.

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