Trump meets with two NIH contenders, taps Giuliani as cybersecurity advisor
President-elect Donald Trump appointed former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani as an informal cybersecurity advisor, the presidential transition office announced Jan. 12.
Guiliani currently serves as chairman and CEO of cybersecurity consulting firm, Giuliani Security & Safety. He'll act as a personal advisor to Trump to find solutions to cyber threats in the private sector, while providing recommendations for possible governmental reactions.
An early Trump supporter, Giuliani was originally a contender for the secretary of state position, which was instead given to Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil CEO.
Giuliani was selected for his "long and very successful government career in law enforcement and his now sixteen years of work providing security solutions in the private sector," officials said.
Trump will also hold meetings throughout his administration with senior corporate executives that have faced or are currently facing cybersecurity challenges, like hacking, disruptions and data theft, officials said. Giuliani is coordinating the group for Trump, he said on the "Fox and Friends" showThursday morning.
[Also: Trump picks cyber expert as White House homeland security advisor]
"The idea here is to bring together corporate leaders and their technological people," said Giuliani. "The president will meet with them on an ongoing basis, as well as anybody else in the administration."
The cybersecurity advisory board will "give the government all the information available in the private sector," Guiliani added. And "it will form a little more connection between these people who are doing cybersecurity so they can work with each other."
In other Trump news, Trump met with two potential leaders for the National Institutes of Health on Jan. 11 at Trump Tower: Current NIH Director Francis Collins, MD and Congressman Andy Harris, MD, of Maryland, STAT news reported.
Collins has lead NIH for the last eight years under the Obama administration and had been endorsed by several congressional leaders. Collins has said he would be willing to continue as director under a Trump administration.
Harris is a former anesthesiologist that has served as a U.S. Representative for Maryland's 1st congressional district since 2011. He is the only member of Congress to have conducted NIH-funded research. He's also advocated to lower the average age of NIH grant recipients.
Twitter: @JessieFDavis
Email the writer: jessica.davis@himssmedia.com
