Mitt Romney would tow Donald Trump's agenda to the letter if he's tapped to become secretary of state, even though the two were each other's throats during the 2016 presidential election, former Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan told Newsmax TV.
"Like most of America, I'd be very, very shocked [if Romney was nominated], but it also says don't underestimate Donald Trump," Hoekstra told Steve Malzberg on Monday's "America Talks Live."
"If he has identified Mitt Romney as the person he wants that can carry out his agenda — and it will be his agenda — this demonstrates how big Donald Trump is: That he can find room in his cabinet for someone he sparred with pretty aggressively with during the primary and even the general election.
"But again, Donald Trump is about getting results, and if he thinks that Mitt Romney can help him get his agenda accomplished, I'm glad that he would offer him the job. And I'd be excited that Mitt would take the job, because it is about getting things done and moving on."
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Romney met with Trump over the weekend in Bedminster, N.J., and Vice President-elect Mike Pence confirmed the former Massachusetts governor and two-time GOP presidential candidate is under "active consideration" for secretary of state.
Hoekstra, former chair of the House Intelligence Committee and a senior fellow at the Investigative Project on Terrorism, dismissed the often viscous back and forth the two men had engaged in — with Romney labelling Trump a "phony" and Trump calling Romney a "choke artist."
"It is about getting things done and moving on," Hoekstra said.
"The bottom line is [Trump is] putting together a great team."
Hoekstra also told Malzberg he is ready to serve should Trump call him.
"I worked very hard after the convention to get Mr. Trump elected as president," he said. "We carried the state of Michigan for Mr. Trump – first time since 1988 that that went for a Republican.
"If the Trump administration, if Mr. Trump, Mike Pence, if they see a role for me in the administration, I would be more than happy to discuss that with them. It would be an honor to serve with this team."
Hoekstra also praised the selection of Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas as CIA director.
"A great choice, a great man," Hoekstra said. "He's going to make a great CIA director along with Mike Flynn [Trump's choices of national security advisor] and Jeff Sessions [his pick for attorney general]. It's clear Mr. Trump is selecting people that are going to carry forward the vision he talked about during the campaign."
Hoekstra said upcoming Capitol Hill battles over Trump's nominees — including possible filibusters — make it "very clear there's not going to be any honeymoon for this president for his team."
"The left have been really disappointed that Americans turned them out of office. They can't quite figure out: 'How did that happen?'" Hoekstra said.
"The American people must've been wrong, so we are still going to exercise every right we have to stymie this administration, whether it is booing and lecturing the vice president[-elect] at 'Hamilton,' whether it was going after [Trump's top aide pick Steve] Bannon, or whether it's going after Sessions.
"These folks are bitter, they are angry, they can't figure out why they're wrong, why they lost. You can expect this to continue for the next four years."
Hoekstra is the author of "Architects of Disaster: The Destruction of Libya," written with Teri Blumenfeld and published by The Calamo Press.
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