Lucas Jackson/Reuters
Mitt Romney declined to apologize for his past criticism of Donald Trump, costing him a job as secretary of State for the incoming GOP administration, CNN reported on Wednesday. Romney and Trump famously met for dinner to discuss a cabinet role, and despite protestations from top aides Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon, the president-elect continued to view the former Massachusetts governor as a potential pick. However, according to CNN, both Reince Priebus and Vice President-elect Mike Pence wanted Romney to apologize for his harsh words, as a way to quell critics of his possible involvement in a Trump cabinet; and the president-elect reportedly asked Mitt to publicly say he was “wrong” about Trump. Ultimately, Romney declined, instead offering forward-looking statements praising Trump without mentioning his past words about the man. Trump selected ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be his first secretary of State.