Gov. Bill Richardson has now been fully vetted and will be Barack Obama’s commerce secretary, The Politico and The Associated Press are reporting today.
Citing “a top Democratic official,” The Politico said Richardson passed final vetting, but his appointment won’t be announced Monday, when Obama is scheduled to introduce other members of his economic team. The Associated Press, citing “a Democratic official,” said Obama will announce Richardson’s appointment after Thanksgiving.
“Richardson wanted to be secretary of State, but Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is scheduled to be tapped for that job after Thanksgiving,” The Politico’s article states. “So the Commerce job is something of a consolation prize for Richardson, who ran for president during the Democratic primaries and comes equipped with one of the best résumés in Democratic politics, albeit one weighted down by a reputation for being a headline-seeker and independent operator.”
The new reports come after conflicting reports on Friday about whether Richardson would be commerce secretary. After NBC News and FOX News reported Friday that Obama would publicly introduce Richardson as his choice to head the Commerce Department on Monday, CNN reported that Richardson was a “serious contender” for the job, but his selection was not a done deal.
Speculation among sources I’ve spoken with today is that Richardson emerged as Obama’s choice on Friday subject to final vetting, which concluded on Saturday.