This week, a radio show host asked Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe if he would consider a position in a hypothetical Hillary Clinton cabinet as Commerce Secretary.
As ridiculous as that sounds given McAuliffe’s numerous ethical lapses and corruption charges, Clinton has advocated for this before. The Washington Post published excepts from McAuliffe’s autobiography in which Hillary Clinton was fully on board with the idea of McAuliffe for Commerce Secretary:
President Bill Clinton once considered McAuliffe for commerce secretary, McAuliffe wrote in his autobiography, “What a Party!” William M. Daley had just left the post to become chairman of Vice President Al Gore’s 2000 presidential campaign. McAuliffe’s wife, Dorothy, suggested him for the job over a late-night game of cards with the president and first lady, McAuliffe wrote.
“‘Mr. President, don’t you think Terry should replace Bill Daley?’ Dorothy said, surprising everyone,” McAuliffe wrote.
“‘Darn right, Bill,’ Hillary said. ‘He’d be great. He can sell anything. He can sell ice to Eskimos. He should do it. He’d be the best.’
“Bill Clinton wasn’t about to argue with both Hillary and Dorothy, and he joined right in, talking about what a good fit the job would be for me. ‘Okay, great, I’m for Terry for secretary of commerce,’” he said.
But the next day, Chief of Staff John Podesta called McAuliffe to put the kibosh on the plan, saying, “I don’t know about sending the President’s buddy and biggest fund-raiser in the party through a Senate confirmation hearing right before the 2000 presidential election.”