Speculation over President-elect Donald Trump's pick to become the next Veterans Affairs Secretary centered on a surprise name Wednesday: Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Palin, the 2008 vice presidential nominee, is the mother of an Army veteran, and if selected would become both the first woman and first non-veteran to hold the post.
How serious her candidacy is remains unclear. Her name has not been among front-runners rumored in recent weeks, and would come with a considerable amount of controversy given her lack of prior experience with VA issues and reputation for candid, sometimes inflammatory public comments.
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But Palin did endorse Trump on the campaign trail and has been rumored to be up for some role within his administration. Trump transition officials would not comment on the VA rumors.
In a Facebook post responding to news stories on her possible candidacy, Palin wrote that "We should be grateful we'll soon have a commander-in-chief who will champion our vets and honor the promises our nation made; a pro-private sector individual who surely understands bigger government is NOT the answer."
She called Trump "a president who promised to drain the swamp and clean up all government corruption... all things our vets and active duty troops deserve."
Unlike other Cabinet posts like Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State, few names have publicly emerged to take over the top VA job.
On Tuesday, Trump met with Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to discuss an unspecified post within the next administration.
Hegseth, the former president of the conservative advocacy group Concerned Veterans for America, served in Iraq with the Minnesota National Guard and has been a vocal advocate for sweeping VA reform.
Earlier in the month, former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown announced after a meeting with Trump that he was in the running for the VA Secretary post, though transition officials have not confirmed that either. He served 35 years in the Army National Guard.
Sources within the transition team have floated current House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., as a possible candidate. Miller, who is retiring from Congress, is not a veteran but has been among the leaders in VA reform efforts in recent years, co-authoring the 2014 bill which created the Veterans Choice Card program.
Transition officials are scheduled to meet with veterans groups on Thursday in Washington, D.C. to discuss broad plans for veterans programs and VA appointments.
Leo Shane III covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He can be reached at lshane@militarytimes.com.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
