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WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, once a favorite to be the next U.S. secretary of state, would not serve in the upcoming Trump administration.
Giuliani told Trump his decision to remove himself from consideration for any position in the Trump administration during a meeting on Nov. 29, according to a statement by the Trump transition team.
"He (Giuliani) is and continues to be a close personal friend, and as appropriate, I will call upon him for advice and can see an important place for him in the administration at a later date," said Trump in the statement.
U.S. TV network CNN early Friday cited an unnamed source as saying that Giuliani, a loyal Trump supporter recently dogged by U.S. media's scrutiny of his overseas business dealings, had been told that he was no longer in competition for the position of U.S. secretary of state.
The announcement came as Trump expanded his search for the top U.S. diplomat.
Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway confirmed to Fox News on Friday that Trump was considering former CEO of Ford Motor Company Alan Mulally for the position of next U.S. secretary of state.
Mulally retired from Ford Motor Company in 2014 after successfully guiding Ford through the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession, making Ford the only U.S. major automaker to avoid a bailout fund by the government.
Other major candidates for the position of U.S. secretary of state include 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, former CIA Director David Petraeus, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator Bob Corker.
