NEW YORK -- President-elect Donald Trump resumed his schedule of transition meetings at Manhattan's Trump Tower on Friday, hosting two well-known experts on foreign policy.
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The president-elect met with Robert Gates, who served as defense secretary under President Barack Obama and had derided Trump as "unqualified and unfit to be commander-in-chief" in a September op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal.
Gates spoke briefly with reporters afterward, saying he had praised Trump's selection of retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis as defense secretary, which Trump announced Thursday. "I told him I thought his selection of Gen. Mattis to be secretary of defense was terrific, very supportive," said Gates, who declined to answer further questions.
Trump also sat down with John Bolton, a former ambassador to the United Nations. He was at one point considered a candidate for secretary of state, but Kellyanne Conway, one of Trump's top advisers, told Fox News on Friday that Trump has narrowed that search to four finalists. Conway said they are 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, retired Army Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
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Opponents of Romney have waged a public campaign against his nomination for the post and urged Trump to reward Giuliani for his loyalty during the campaign. It is unclear when Trump will make a final decision.
Also Friday, Trump spoke with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who offered her congratulations.
"During the discussion, they noted the close economic, political, and security ties exists between Taiwan and the United States. President-elect Trump also congratulated President Tsai on becoming President of Taiwan earlier this year," a statement from Trump's transition team said.
Trump tweeted later: "The President of Taiwan called me today to wish me congratulations on winning the Presidency. Thank you!" Part of the tweet was in all capital letters.
About an hour later, Trump groused about the reaction to the call. "Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call," he tweeted.
The Taiwanese presidential office issued a statement early today saying Trump and Tsai discussed issues affecting Asia and the future of U.S. relations with Taiwan.
"The [Taiwanese] president is looking forward to strengthening bilateral interactions and contacts as well as setting up closer cooperative relations," the statement said.
"The president also told U.S. President-elect Trump that she hopes the U.S. will continue to support Taiwan's efforts in having more opportunities to participate in and contribute to international affairs in the future," Tsai's office said.
It said the two also "shared ideas and concepts" on "promoting domestic economic development and strengthening national defense" to improve the lives of ordinary people.
The U.S. has pursued a "one China" policy since 1979, when it shifted diplomatic recognition of China from the government in Taiwan to the communist government on the mainland. Under that policy, the U.S. recognizes Beijing as representing China but retains unofficial ties with Taiwan.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said this morning that the call between Tsai and Trump was "just a small trick by Taiwan."
Hong Kong's Phoenix TV reported that Wang said he hopes China's relations with the U.S. won't be "interfered with or damaged."
Ned Price, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said Trump's conversation does not signal any change to long-standing U.S. policy on "cross-strait" issues.
"We remain firmly committed to our 'one China' policy," Price said. "Our fundamental interest is in peaceful and stable cross-strait relations."
Over the decades, the status of Taiwan has been one of the most sensitive issues in U.S.-China relations. China regards Taiwan as part of its territory to be retaken by force, if necessary, if it seeks independence. It would regard any recognition of a Taiwanese leader as a head of state as unacceptable.
Taiwan split from the Chinese mainland during a civil war in 1949. The U.S. policy acknowledges the Chinese view over sovereignty, but considers Taiwan's status as unsettled.
goldman sachs roster
As Trump continues his meetings over the weekend, Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn is scheduled to meet with the president-elect's transition team as speculation arises that the longtime banker is seeking to leave Wall Street for a government job, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Since his initial meeting Tuesday with Trump, reports have linked Cohn's name to a variety of senior posts, though one person with direct knowledge of the situation said the executive isn't likely to get a Cabinet seat. Possibilities include heading the Office of Management and Budget, or taking a position at the Treasury Department or Federal Reserve, another person with knowledge of the talks said.
It's also possible that Cohn, 56, won't take any role, two people said. Members of Trump's team are growing concerned that the administration is attracting too many Goldman Sachs alumni, contrary to the president-elect's criticism of the firm on the campaign trail, they said.
Cohn, the president and chief operating officer, didn't respond to a request for comment.
For Cohn, joining the government would allow him to sell his stake in Goldman Sachs without a hefty tax bill. He holds almost 562,000 shares directly and 311,000 in trusts and limited partnerships, according to a Nov. 11 filing. If he sold those to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest, he'd be eligible to defer capital-gains taxes, so long as he reinvests the proceeds in U.S. Treasury notes or diversified funds.
Cohn's savings would be about $11.7 million, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Other Goldman Sachs alumni already are heading to posts atop the government despite the president-elect's criticism of Wall Street during his campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Earlier this week, Trump picked former Goldman Sachs executive Steven Mnuchin to be his Treasury secretary. Another Goldman alumnus, Stephen Bannon, was named chief strategist.
new business panel
Trump also turned to some of Wall Street's biggest names Friday to create a panel of business leaders that will give him strategic advice on the economy after he takes office, including two financiers with deep Democratic roots.
Blackstone Group Chief Executive Officer Stephen Schwarzman will head the President's Strategic and Policy Forum, which will begin meeting with Trump in February, after his inauguration, according to a statement from his private-equity firm. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and BlackRock Chairman and CEO Laurence Fink, major donors to Democratic politicians, also will sit on the panel.
"This forum brings together CEOs and business leaders who know what it takes to create jobs and drive economic growth," Trump said in a statement issued by Blackstone. "My administration is committed to drawing on private sector expertise and cutting the government red tape that is holding back our businesses from hiring, innovating, and expanding right here in America."
Other panel members include Wal-Mart Stores President and CEO Doug McMillon, General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra, and Bob Iger of Walt Disney Co.
Presidents traditionally turn to business leaders for advice on the economy. President Barack Obama named CEOs from companies including Xerox and Dow Chemical to an advisory committee on international trade, while Schwarzman has partnered with the current administration on efforts to hire veterans.
Senate Democrats said Thursday that they will push for all committees to require Cabinet and other high-level nominees to provide tax returns ahead of their confirmation hearings.
Trump's transition team, in a memo for campaign supporters and Congress, said the Democratic calls are "a PR stunt with zero precedent designed to arm opposition researchers."
"President-elect Trump's nominees are patriotic Americans, many of whom are selflessly leaving behind their private business careers to serve their country," the memo said.
Trump refused to release his own tax returns, breaking with recent major party presidential candidates, and his team is arguing that it's unnecessary for his nominees.
Democrats said they will push for the rule changes next year when the new Congress convenes, a move that likely will fail because Republicans control the Senate.
"After running on the idea that he was going to stand with the common man and fight Wall Street and big business, President-elect Trump is putting together a gold-plated and mahogany, Trump Style Cabinet of Wall Street bankers, billionaires, millionaires, friends, insiders, campaign contributors and cronies," said Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
Information for this article was contributed by Jerry Markon, Sean Sullivan and Alice Crites of The Washington Post; by Dakin Campbell and Jennifer Jacobs, Toluse Olorunnipa, Zeke Faux, Sabrina Willmer, Jamie Butters and Jing Cao of Bloomberg News; and by Mary Clare Jalonick, Matthew Daly, Jonathan Lemire and Matthew Pennington of The Associated Press.
A Section on 12/03/2016