Trump team eyes ex-Uber exec, 3 Republicans for transportation chief

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is evaluating candidates for the post of US Transportation Secretary. Among those being considered are a former Uber executive and three current or former Republican lawmakers, including a Fox News anchor, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

Emil Michaels, a Trump donor and tech entrepreneur who knows Elon Musk socially, has emerged as a front-runner, three of the sources said. Tech executives who backed Trump have backed the former Uber executive, two of the sources said.

Other candidates include Sam Graves — a member of the Missouri House of Representatives and chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee — along with outgoing Republican Rep. Garrett Graves of Louisiana and former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, now Fox News host, seven of the sources said.

Sam Graves said in a statement that he would be honored to be asked to serve as DOT and would consider the position. A spokesman for Garrett Graves would not comment on the DOT’s outlook, but said he was advising the Trump campaign on transportation and infrastructure issues.

Michael declined to comment. Duffy did not respond to a request seeking comment.

The eight sources who spoke to Reuters in some cases gave different accounts of which candidate or candidates would likely be tapped for the DOT chief position. Other candidates are likely to emerge.

One of the sources said Elon Musk is a “fan” of Michael, the tech entrepreneur. Michael is an investor in Musk’s SpaceX rocket company, according to Michael’s website.

Reuters was unable to determine whether Musk has endorsed Michael’s hiring to head the DOT.

Transition planning

Musk, the world’s richest man and one of Trump’s biggest campaign backers, is expected to influence the choice to head the Transportation Department, among other Trump appointments, Reuters reported, citing a source close to Trump’s transition planning and of Musk.

Musk contributed at least $119 million to a pro-Trump spending group, according to federal records.

The department, with an annual budget of about $110 billion, oversees regulations for pipelines, railroads, cars and trucks, transit systems, and federal funding for highway repairs and other infrastructure projects. It also sets fuel economy standards for cars and trucks and regulates aviation and is responsible for air traffic control through the Federal Aviation Administration, one of its agencies.

The Department of Transportation, which includes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), regulates automakers, including Musk’s Tesla. Musk has said he will seek to push changes to autonomous vehicle regulation favorable to Tesla under the Trump administration.

NHTSA is investigating Tesla for accidents, some fatal, involving its “Full Self-Driving” system, which is not fully autonomous and requires strict attention from a human driver. The agency is also investigating whether the automaker’s recall of more than 2 million vehicles, announced last year, to install new Autopilot safeguards is sufficient after 20 crashes involving vehicles that had the new software installed.

Tesla and Musk did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump’s transition spokeswoman Carolyn Levitt declined to comment on the transportation chief nominees, saying the choice would be announced after it is finalized.

Michael left Uber in 2017 following an investigation into workplace culture by former US Attorney General Eric Holder. Uber hired Holder to conduct a broad investigation into the company’s culture after a former engineer filed sexual harassment allegations at the company.

One of Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick’s closest associates, Michael helped oversee mergers, acquisitions and fundraising. Since leaving Uber, Michael has launched an investment firm, served on start-up boards, and advised technology-focused hedge funds such as Coatue Management.

During the Obama administration, Michael served as a White House Fellow working at the Department of Defense as a special assistant to Robert Gates from 2009 to 2011, overseeing projects in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan.