Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump's senior adviser and former campaign manager, publicly criticised the possibility of Mitt Romney becoming secretary of state on the morning political-show circuit on Sunday.

On ABC's "This Week," Conway told host Martha Raddatz that Romney had taken special steps during the presidential campaign to question Trump's character and intellect - criticism that she viewed as a major detriment, saying the primary quality of a secretary of state should be loyalty to the president.

"There was the 'Never Trump' movement and then there was Governor Mitt Romney," Conway said. "He went out of his way to hurt Donald Trump."

She added that it was unclear whether Romney had even voted for Trump.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and the 2012 GOP presidential candidate, was a fierce and vocal critic of Trump throughout the latter's campaign. In a memorable speech from March, Romney said Trump was "playing the members of the American public for suckers."

Still, the two met on Nov. 19 for more than an hour at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., where they had what Romney called a "far-reaching conversation."

"It went great," Trump said of the meeting.

Since that encounter, Romney's name has been floated as a potential secretary of state.

The day after that meeting, Conway simply described both men as accomplished job creators. However, on Thanksgiving, she took to Twitter to say that she was receiving a "deluge" of social media and private communications warning against picking Romney as secretary of state.

On Sunday, Raddatz asked why Conway, one of Trump's closest advisers, was motivated to publicly tweet about opposition to Romney when she had the president-elect's ear: Was it a reflection of Conway's opinion or had she been told by Trump to do so?

"I won’t discuss that," Conway said, adding that Trump was the only person with final say on his cabinet picks. "Whatever he decides will have my full support and respect, and he knows that."

However, she went out of her way to point out that Trump had won states that Republicans — including Romney in 2012 — had not won in years, such as Iowa and Pennsylvania.

"This is Trump’s party now, and he won states that Mitt Romney lost," she said. "... I don’t think a cost of admission for party unity has to be the secretary of state position."

Conway repeated the same sentiments on CNN's "State of the Union," saying the volume of messages she has received from Trump loyalists concerned about Romney was "breathtaking."

"It's just the backlash from the grass roots," Conway said. "People are saying they'll feel betrayed if Romney was chosen. We don't even know if Romney voted for Donald Trump. I think there are concerns.... You want a secretary of state who's loyal."

"State of the Union" host Dana Bash asked Conway whether she thought Romney would be loyal to Trump if selected.

"I would hope so," she said. "If President-elect Trump chooses Mitt Romney, that will have the full support and backing of all of us."

Conway's comments on Sunday's television shows bewildered some, who wondered why Conway seemed to be so publicly campaigning against Romney.

Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist and political commentator who also was one of Trump's harshest critics during the campaign, tweeted that she was astounded by Conway's comments, especially since Conway "has the ability to tell Trump privately."

Conway responded to Navarro by saying that she had told Trump privately, as well.

On Sunday, Conway also derided plans by Hillary Clinton's campaign to participate in an election recount effort in Wisconsin initiated by Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

On "State of the Union," Conway said Trump was not focused on prosecuting Clinton but wouldn't rule it out — which she said indicated that Trump was being "incredibly gracious and magnanimous" to Clinton.

Though the two issues are neither related nor causal, Conway on "This Week" linked Trump's latest public comments about not pursuing a prosecution of Clinton to the Clinton campaign's decision to join the recount effort.

"But this is how the president-elect feels at this moment about Hillary Clinton," Conway told Raddatz. "I would say, in response that, I guess her attitude toward that is to have her counsel, Mark Elias, go and join this ridiculously fantastical recount that Jill Stein is engaging in Wisconsin and perhaps elsewhere.

"So you've got the President-elect Donald Trump being quite magnanimous to Hillary Clinton and you've got her responding with joining into this recount."

Conway told Raddatz that she was confident the recount would not change the election results in Wisconsin, where Stein received 33,000 votes.

"33,000 votes is like the number of people who tailgate at a Packers game," Conway said. "It is not a serious effort to change the election results."

On "Fox News Sunday," the chairman of the Republican National Committee also criticized the recount effort in Wisconsin as "a total waste of everybody's time."

"This is a fundraising, notoriety-driven fraud by someone who won 33,000 votes in Wisconsin to President-elect Trump, who won 1.4 million," Reince Priebus said. "So, here, we have a person perpetrating a fundraising scheme that has lost over 1.35 million votes in Wisconsin attempting to undo a 28,000-vote lead. It's never going to happen. It's a total waste of everybody's time." </s> Washington (CNN) Kellyanne Conway publicly sounded alarm bells Thursday in a series of tweets highlighting the anger among President-elect Donald Trump's base of supporters with Mitt Romney, reportedly to be a leading contender for secretary of state.

Receiving deluge of social media & private comms re: Romney Some Trump loyalists warn against Romney as sec of state https://t.co/HDtpjeJTc3 — Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) November 24, 2016

"Receiving deluge of social media & private comms re: Romney Some Trump loyalists warn against Romney as sec of state," the top Trump aide and former campaign manager tweeted, along with a link to a Politico article about discontent with the 2012 presidential nominee among Trump loyalists.

Conway later tweeted, "Kissinger & Schultz as Secs of State flew around the world less, counseled POTUS close to home more. And were loyal. Good checklist."

Kissinger & Schultz as Secs of State flew around the world less, counseled POTUS close to home more. And were loyal. Good checklist. — Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) November 24, 2016

Sources familiar with transition discussions report that Romney -- who was Trump's fiercest critic inside the Republican Party during the campaign -- is interested in serving as the country's top diplomat. Sources report that Romney is waging a behind-the-scenes fight for the job with Rudy Giuliani, a Trump loyalist.

Conway told CNN that she was only tweeting the same message she has been telling Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence in private.

Read More </s> He cited McFarland's "tremendous experience and innate talent," which he said would "complement the fantastic team we are assembling."

McFarland has most recently served as a Fox News analyst. She served in various posts under former Presidents Nixon Ford and Reagan.

George Martin is a member of the state Green Party's council. Martin says Stein's campaign will file the request by the state's 5 p.m. Friday deadline.

Under Wisconsin law, Stein's campaign must show a basis for the recount in that state and cover costs. Stein has said she's concerned voting systems in the three states may have been hacked. Her campaign estimates a Wisconsin recount will cost $1.1 million.

A top adviser to President-elect Donald Trump has gone on Twitter to note opposition among some of his supporters to selection of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as secretary of state.

In a pair of posts on her verified Twitter account @kellyannePolls on Thursday, Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway seemed to be stating an argument against the placement of Romney in Trump's Cabinet. Romney vehemently opposed Trump's nomination early in the campaign, assailing the billionaire as a " ."

In one tweet, Conway notes that she has been "receiving a deluge of social media & private concerns re: Romney Some Trump loyalists warn against Romney as sec of state."

In another, she makes references to former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and George Schultz, both Cabinet secretaries in Republican administrations, as men who "flew around the world less, POTUS (president of the United States) close to home more. And were loyal. Good checklist."

Hillary Clinton has tweeted a thank you to supporters who left homemade signs near her house with warm wishes on Thanksgiving.

Clinton posted a picture of about a dozen signs on Twitter Thursday along with a message: "I was greeted by this heartwarming display on the corner of my street today. Thank you to all of you who did this. Happy Thanksgiving."

Some of the messages on the signs included, "Thank you, Hillary!" and "We Are Thankful for Hillary, An American Hero."

She has for the most part remained out of public view since conceding the presidential election to Donald Trump on Nov. 9, except for a speech at an event held in Washington by the Children's Fund.

This story has been corrected to change the time element to Thursday in the initial item regarding Conway Twitter posts. </s> Republicans and top Donald Trump allies have cast doubt over Mitt Romney being selected as secretary of state.

Mitt Romney, the former presidential candidate who named Mr Trump a “fraud” and a “phony” in March, had a "far-reaching" conversation with Mr Trump last weekend, but has yet to be offered a role.

The former Massachusetts governor also said Mr Trump’s promises were “as worthless as a degree from Trump University”.

Mr Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway showed her displeasure at the idea in a series of tweets and named more “loyal” candidates for the job including Henry Kissinger, the hawkish secretary of state in the 1970s, and George Schultz, who worked for Ronald Reagan.

She said they flew around the world less, counseled the president closer to home and were loyal, which made “a good checklist”.

She also said she had received a “deluge” of private social media communications warning her against Mr Romney. She linked to a Politico article, with the headline “Some Trump loyalists warn against Romney as secretary of state.”

The article quoted former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and former house speaker Newt Gingrich, who accused Mr Romney of trying to “derail” the president-elect during the campaign trail.

“It’s not about that I don’t care for Mitt personally, but I’m still very unhappy that Mitt did everything he could to derail Donald Trump,” Mr Huckabee told Fox News.

“He didn’t just go after him from a standpoint of saying I disagree with his policy on immigration or I disagree with his policy on taxes. He attacked him on a personal level about his character, integrity, his honour.”

Yet Mr Trump's vice president-elect, Mike Pence, recently confirmed that Mr Romney was a top pick for the job, highlighting a potential clash amid the transition team.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani is also reportedly being considered for the role, after he turned down the offer of attorney general, but other names may be added to the list as all parties mull the decisions over Thanksgiving.

Mr Trump himself had attacked Mr Romney, calling him a “choke artist” who had “begged” him for money when he was running for president.

Yet the possible new secretary of state tweeted an olive branch after the election, saying: “Best wishes for our duly elected president: May his victory speech be his guide and preserving the Republic his aim.”

Their meeting in New Jersey on Saturday was described by officials as “extremely positive and productive”.

This week Mr Trump made several key appointments including billionaire, anti-gay activist Betsy DeVos as education secretary and offered the role of US housing and urban development secretary to retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has named close adviser Kellyanne Conway as his White House counselor, elevating the woman who led his campaign to victory to a senior West Wing position.

Trump — who also announced his senior White House communications staff, including naming former Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer as press secretary — has a strong rapport with Conway and she was seen as a positive influence on his often chaotic campaign. Conway, who took over as campaign manager in the summer, has been one of Trump’s most visible advisers, making frequent television appearances on his behalf.

“She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message,” Trump said in a statement Thursday announcing the position.

Trump is creating another power center in the West Wing by tapping Conway for the senior White House role.

He’s already named outgoing Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus as his chief of staff and conservative media executive Steve Bannon as a senior adviser. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner will also be an influential adviser, though his exact role is still to be determined.

Internal rivalries have long been a hallmark of Trump’s businesses and campaign as well as his transition team. Conway and Priebus have been at odds over some major decisions, including who should serve as Trump’s secretary of state. He ultimately chose Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson.

Conway irritated some Trump aides with her outspoken opposition to the prospect of the president-elect picking Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, to head the State Department. She panned the idea in public, though she said she had also made her feelings known to Trump privately.

Conway, a longtime Republican pollster, considered not joining the White House staff and turned down offers to serve in a communications role. She also expressed a desire to help Trump set up an outside political organization to promote his agenda.

Conway said Thursday that she was “humbled and honored to play a role in helping transform the movement he has led into a real agenda of action and results.”

Meanwhile, Spicer’s elevation was championed by Priebus, his longtime ally at the RNC. Additionally, the transition team announced that Jason Miller will be the director of communications. Hope Hicks, the longtime campaign spokeswoman, was appointed Director of Strategic Communications while Dan Scavino will be Director of Social Media.

Hicks and Scavino were original members of Trump’s skeletal staff, joining the Republican businessman’s campaign in its early days. Miller joined after Trump became the presumptive nominee. </s> President-elect Donald Trump will work on the transition Friday at his Florida resort after spending Thanksgiving with his family.



Mr. Trump made foreign policy a centerpiece of his campaign, but has yet to name secretaries of defense, homeland security or state. The current fight on the transition team is over who will lead the State Department – a question that has Mr. Trump’s inner circle divided, reports CBS News correspondent Errol Barnett.

I am working hard, even on Thanksgiving, trying to get Carrier A.C. Company to stay in the U.S. (Indiana). MAKING PROGRESS - Will know soon! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 24, 2016

Mr. Trump was President-out-of-sight-elect Thursday, enjoying a Thanksgiving meal with family at his Mar-a-Lago resort. But he didn’t take the holiday off, writing on Twitter: “I’m working hard, even on Thanksgiving, trying to get carrier A.C. Company to stay in the U.S. (Indiana).”

On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump frequently pointed to the air conditioning company as an example of how trade deals have negatively impacted American workers. “Companies, like Carrier, simply fire their workers and move their operations to Mexico, build new plants, make their product and sell it back into this country,” Mr. Trump said.

Carrier confirmed it’s “...had discussions with the incoming administration…” but has nothing to announce at this time. Also Thursday, Kellyanne Conway, a senior transition adviser and former campaign manager, publicly discouraged Mr. Trump from choosing Mitt Romney as secretary of state.



Receiving deluge of social media & private comms re: Romney Some Trump loyalists warn against Romney as sec of state https://t.co/HDtpjeJTc3 — Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) November 24, 2016

Conway shared an article on twitter titled, “Some Trump loyalists warn against Romney as secretary of state,” and praised the loyalty of former state department secretaries, hinting at Romney’s previous Trump criticisms.

Insults between Mr. Trump and the 2012 nominee flew in both directions.

“He’s playing the members of the American public for suckers. He gets a free ride to the White House, and all we get is a lousy hat,” Romney told a crowd at the University of Utah last March.

“The last election should’ve been won, except Romney choked like a dog. He choked. He went, ‘I can’t breathe!’” Trump mocked Romney at a rally in Rome, New York last April, grabbing his neck.

Also currently on the list for the secretary of state slot is former CIA Director David Petraeus, Senator Bob Corker and longtime Trump ally Rudy Giuliani. Once seen as Mr. Trump’s top pick, Giuliani has been making a public case for his appointment, listing various foreign trips and his close personal relationship with the Israeli prime minister as reasons why he’s the most qualified. </s> NEW YORK — The drama, disputes and falsehoods that permeated Donald Trump's presidential campaign are now roiling his transition to the White House, forcing aides to defend his baseless assertions of illegal voting and sending internal fights spilling into public.

On Monday, a recount effort, led by Green Party candidate Jill Stein and joined by Hillary Clinton's campaign also marched on in three states, based partly on the Stein campaign's unsubstantiated assertion that cyberhacking could have interfered with electronic voting machines. Wisconsin officials approved plans to begin a recount as early as Thursday. Stein also asked for a recount in Pennsylvania and was expected to do the same in Michigan, where officials certified Trump's victory Monday.

Trump has angrily denounced the recounts and now claims without evidence that he, not Clinton, would have won the popular vote if it hadn't been for "millions of people who voted illegally." On Twitter, he singled out Virginia, California and New Hampshire.

There has been no indication of widespread election tampering or voter fraud in those states or any others, and Trump aides struggled Monday to back up their boss' claim.

Trump met Monday with candidates for top Cabinet posts, including retired Gen. David Petraeus, a new contender for secretary of state. Trump is to meet Tuesday with Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, who is also being considered more seriously for the diplomatic post, and Mitt Romney, who has become a symbol of the internal divisions agitating the transition team.

Petraeus said he spent about an hour with Trump, and he praised the president-elect for showing a "great grasp of a variety of the challenges that are out there."

"Very good conversation and we'll see where it goes from here," he said. A former CIA chief, Petraeus pleaded guilty last year to a charge of mishandling classified information relating to documents he had provided to his biographer, with whom he was having an affair.

Pence is said to be among those backing Romney for State. Romney was fiercely critical of Trump throughout the campaign but is interested in the Cabinet position, and they discussed it during a lengthy meeting earlier this month.

Other top Trump allies, notably campaign manager Kellyanne Conway, have launched a highly unusual public campaign to warn the president-elect that nominating Romney would be seen as a betrayal by his supporters. Conway's comments stirred speculation that she is seeking to either force Trump's hand or give him cover for ultimately passing over Romney.

Three people close to the transition team said Trump had been aware that Conway planned to voice her opinion, both on Twitter and in television interviews. They disputed reports that Trump was furious at her and suggested his decision to consider additional candidates instead highlighted her influence.

Conway served as Trump's third campaign manager and largely succeeded in navigating the minefield of rivalries that ensnared other officials. Trump is said to have offered her a choice of White House jobs — either press secretary or communications director. But people with knowledge of Conway's plans say she is more interested in serving as an outside political adviser, akin to the role President Barack Obama's campaign manager David Plouffe played following the 2008 election.

The wrangling over the State Department post appears to have slowed the announcements of other top jobs. Retired Gen. James Mattis, who impressed Trump during a pre-Thanksgiving meeting, was at the top of the list for secretary, but a final decision had not been made.

Trump was also considering former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for Homeland Security secretary, according to those close to the transition process. Giuliani was initially the front-runner for State and is still in the mix. But questions about his overseas business dealings, as well as the mayor's public campaigning for the job, have given Trump pause.

Even as Trump weighs major decisions that will shape his presidency, he's been unable to avoid being distracted by the recount effort. He spent Sunday on a 12-hour Twitter offensive that included quoting Clinton's concession speech, in which she said the public owed Trump "an open mind and the chance to lead."

His final tweets challenging the integrity of an election he won were reminiscent of his repeated, unsubstantiated assertions during the campaign that the contest might be rigged. Those previous comments sparked an outcry from both Clinton and some Republicans. </s> U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named his former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway to serve as counselor to the president, his transition team said in a statement.Conway, 49, currently a senior adviser on Trump's transition team, is widely credited with helping him bring a more disciplined approach to campaigning that helped him win the November presidential election.

In her new post, Conway will play a key advisory role in the White House when Trump takes office on Jan. 20, helping to manage the New York businessman's messaging and legislative priorities, according to the statement.

Trump said Conway "played a crucial role in my victory. She is a tireless and tenacious advocate of my agenda and has amazing insights on how to effectively communicate our message."

In an interview with ABC News shortly after the announcement, Conway said Trump was finalizing his communications staff and was preparing to announce his choices for White House press secretary and related posts soon but gave no other details.

Asked when Trump would hold his first news conference after canceling one earlier this month, Conway avoided directly answering the question. Trump has held several rallies since winning the Nov. 8 election but has not taken formal questions from reporters.

Speaking on ABC's "Good Morning America" program, Conway pointed to Trump's time spent forming his Cabinet. "He's been very busy doing that," she said. </s> An independent government investigative agency said on Tuesday that senior counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway twice violated a federal law prohibiting government employees from engaging in political activities.

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The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), which is in not affiliated with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, announced Tuesday that Conway violated the Hatch Act in two television interviews.

"In the first interview, Conway advocated against one Senate candidate and gave an implied endorsement of another candidate," the OSC said in a statement following its investigation. "In the second interview, she advocated for the defeat of one Senate candidate and the election of another candidate."

The interviews occurred last November and December when President Donald Trump came out in support of Judge Roy Moore in Alabama's U.S. Senate special election. Conway appeared in her official capacity as counselor to the president on both "Fox and Friends" and CNN's "New Day" and "discussed why voters should support" Moore over his Democratic opponent Doug Jones, the OSC said.

“Ms. Conway’s statements during the Fox & Friends and New Day interviews impermissibly mixed official government business with political views about candidates in the Alabama special election for U.S. Senate,” according to the OSC.

"Doug Jones in Alabama, folks don’t be fooled," Conway said during her "Fox and Friends" interview. "He’ll be a vote against tax cuts. He’s weak on crime, weak on borders. He’s strong on raising your taxes. He’s terrible for property owners. And Doug Jones is a doctrinaire liberal, which is why he’s not saying anything and why the media are trying to boost him."

The OSC says it has referred its report to President Trump, but the White House quickly disputed the OSC finding, making it unlikely Conway will face any serious discipline.

“Kellyanne Conway did not advocate for or against the election of any particular candidate. She simply expressed the President’s obvious position that he have people in the House and Senate who support his agenda," deputy press Secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement. "In fact, Kellyanne’s statements actually show her intention and desire to comply with the Hatch Act – as she twice declined to respond to the host’s specific invitation to encourage Alabamans to vote for the Republican.”

Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, wants the president to take disciplinary action against Conway.

“This is not the first time that an independent government agency has recommended that the White House discipline Kellyanne Conway for breaking the law. Ms. Conway has received multiple trainings and warnings, yet she still refuses to follow basic ethics rules. The President must take swift and serious disciplinary action against Ms. Conway. Anything else sets a terrible example.”

The report from the OSC claims the office gave her ample opportunity to respond to their report, which included a commitment from the White House counsel’s office that it said Conway never followed through on.

The report also details how Conway was briefed in some manner at least five separate times on the Hatch Act and the consequences for violating it.

According to the OSC's website, the Hatch Act dates back to 1939, and is intended "to ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion, to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace, and to ensure that federal employees are advanced based on merit and not based on political affiliation." There are a few exceptions to the rule, including the president, vice president and some other federal employees.

In early 2017 Conway was similarly found to have violated federal ethics rules in an appearance on "Fox and Friends" when she urged viewers to purchase items from Ivanka Trump's clothing line. A report from the Office of Government Ethics was then referred to the president, but no significant disciplinary action was taken as a response.

Conway is also not the first Trump White House official to be found in violation of the Hatch Act. Social media director Dan Scavino was issued a warning by the OSC after writing a tweet from his personal verified account against Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., calling for his defeat in a primary.

ABC News' Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.
A tweet from President-elect Trump aide Kellyanne Conway acknowledges grassroots opposition to former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney as Trump's Secretary of State.