Rick Perry May Lead Dept. He Famously Forgot: Report

Donald Trump is reportedly down to four candidates for energy secretary, and they include two Democratic senators from big energy-producing states, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, and, uh, if history were any indicator the fourth name would escape Rick Perry's memory. Yes, Perry, the former Texas governor who famously forgot the third federal department he wanted to abolish during a 2011 presidential debate, is now the leading candidate to run that same department, reports Bloomberg, citing Trump transition insiders. Perry currently sits on the board of Energy Transfer Partners, which is behind the controversial pipeline project in North Dakota, notes Bloomberg. Also in the running are Sens. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and former RNC chief Ray Washburne. Any of the four would break with recent tradition of appointing scientists to the post. (More Rick Perry stories.)