Trump’s options for transportation chief include former Uber executives, congressmen

By Rachael Levy, David Shepardson and Alexandra Ulmer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Trump’s transition team is considering a former Uber executive and three current or former Republican congressmen – one of whom is now a Fox News host – to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation, eight sources familiar with the matter told Reuters .

Emil Michael, a Trump donor and tech entrepreneur who knows Elon Musk socially, has emerged as a leading candidate, three of the sources said. Tech executives who supported Trump have advocated for the former Uber executive, two of the sources said.

Other candidates include Sam Graves — a U.S. House member from Missouri and chairman of its Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure — along with outgoing Republican Rep. Garret Graves of Louisiana and former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, now a Fox News host, seven of the sources said.

Sam Graves said in a statement that he would be honored to be asked to serve as DOT and would consider the position. A spokesman for Garret Graves did not comment on the DOT outlook, but said he had been advising Trump’s campaign on transportation and infrastructure issues.

Michael declined to comment. Duffy did not respond to a request for comment.

The eight sources who spoke to Reuters gave, in some cases, differing accounts of which candidate or candidates were most likely to be selected for the DOT chief position. It is possible that other candidates may emerge.

One of the sources said Elon Musk is a “fan” of Michael, the tech entrepreneur. According to Michael’s website, Michael is an investor in Musk’s rocket company SpaceX.

Reuters could not determine whether Musk has advocated for Michael’s appointment as DOT chief.

TRANSITION PLANNING

Musk, the world’s richest person and one of Trump’s biggest campaign backers, is expected to influence the choice to head the Transportation Department, among other Trump appointments, Reuters reported, citing a source close to Trump and Musk’s transition planning.

Musk contributed at least $119 million to a pro-Trump spending group, federal records show.

The department, with an annual budget of about $110 billion, oversees regulations for pipelines, railroads, cars and trucks, transit systems, as well as federal funding for highway repair and other infrastructure projects. It also sets fuel economy standards for cars and trucks and regulates aviation and is responsible for air traffic control through the Federal Aviation Administration, one of its agencies.

The Department of Transportation, which includes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), regulates automakers, including Musk’s Tesla. Musk has said he will try to push through changes in the regulation of autonomous vehicles favorable to Tesla under a Trump administration.

NHTSA is investigating Tesla for crashes, some fatal, involving its “Full Self-Driving” system, which is not fully autonomous and requires a human driver to pay close attention. The agency is also investigating whether the automaker’s recall of more than 2 million vehicles, announced last year, to install new Autopilot safeguards is sufficient after 20 crashes in vehicles that had the new software installed.

Tesla and Musk did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump’s transition spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, declined to comment on the transportation chief candidates, saying the selection would be announced after it is finalized.

Michael left Uber in 2017 following an investigation into workplace culture by former US Attorney General Eric Holder. Uber hired Holder to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the company’s culture after a former engineer raised sexual harassment complaints at the company.

One of Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick’s closest associates, Michael helped oversee mergers, acquisitions and fundraising. Since leaving Uber, Michael started an investment firm, has served on startup boards and advised technology-focused hedge fund firms such as Coatue Management.

During the Obama administration, Michael served as a White House Fellow, worked in the Department of Defense as a special assistant to Robert Gates, from 2009 to 2011, and oversaw projects in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan.

(Reporting by Rachael Levy and David Shepardson in Washington and Alexandra Ulmer in San Francisco; Editing by Brian Thevenot and Nick Zieminski)