Rudy Giuliani is the favorite to be Trump's secretary of state

Mike Segar/Reuters

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has emerged as the favorite to be secretary of state in Donald Trump's administration, a senior Trump official said Monday night.

The official told The Associated Press that there's no real competition for the job and that it's the former New York mayor's if he wants it. The official wasn't authorized to speak on the record and requested anonymity.

While speaking at a Wall Street Journal CEO Council event Monday night in Washington, the former mayor and federal prosecutor said he wouldn't be attorney general in a Trump administration. He had been considered a leading prospect for that job even before Trump's victory last Tuesday.

The position of secretary of state arose during the event, but Giuliani appeared to be coy about his own prospects. He said John Bolton, the former ambassador to the United Nations, would be a very good choice. Asked if there was anyone better, he replied: "Maybe me, I don't know."

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