Donald Trump to Meet David Petraeus For Secretary of State Spot Amid Transition Team Turmoil

President-elect Donald Trump will meet with retired Gen. David Petraeus on Monday to discuss the possibility of the former CIA director joining the Trump administration in the top diplomatic spot as secretary of state.

Petraeus, who has indicated that he would serve in the Trump administration if he was tapped, comes into the transition process as infighting continues in Trump's circle over whom should be nominated as secretary of state. Many in the camp have balked at the possibility of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney being selected for the post.

However, Petraeus, a four-star general, has his own share of baggage after leaving his last government post as CIA director when it came to light that he was not only having an extramarital affair, but he was also sharing classified documents with the woman.

Kellyanne Conway, who served as Trump’s campaign manager and is now a senior adviser, took to the Sunday talk shows to try to tamp down the possibility of Romney landing in the State Department, saying that his nomination would amount to a "betrayal" of many Trump supporters.

"I'm all for party unity, but I'm not sure we have to pay for that with the secretary of state position," Conway told CNN on Sunday.

"It's just breathtaking in scope and intensity the type of messages I've received from all over the country ... the number of people who feel betrayed to think that Gov. Romney would get the most prominent Cabinet post after he went so far out of his way to hurt Donald Trump," said Conway.

She added: "There was the Never Trump movement, and then there was Mitt Romney; he gave speeches against Donald Trump, he attacked his character."

Conway's comments may land her in disfavor with Trump, who was reportedly "furious" over her going "rogue," according to Joe Scarborough of MSNBC.

For his part, Trump responded on Monday by saying he intends to meet with Romney once again on Tuesday, according to Politico.

On Monday, New York Rep. Chris Collins, who is serving on the Trump transition team, hit Romney even harder, calling him an "egomaniac" and a "loser."

"Well, I mean, what do I know about Mitt Romney? I know that he is a self-serving, egomaniac who puts himself first, who has a chip on his shoulder, that thinks he should be president of the United States,” Collins said on CNN’s "New Day." He added: "I mean, there's no love lost between me and Mitt Romney. I've called him a loser for the last six months, even though I supported him."

Still, Petraeus may be a difficult sell when it comes to Senate approval after his government career imploded when it was revealed that he was having an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, and that he had shared classified documents with her.

After resigning from the CIA in November 2012 after just one year on the job, Petraeus avoided a criminal trial by taking a plea deal in 2015 in which he would serve two years probation and pay a $100,000 fine in exchange for a misdemeanor charge of unauthorized possession of classified information.

On the campaign trail, Trump often made the case that Petraeus' problems did not reach anywhere near what his Democratic opponent had done, saying Hillary Clinton had done far worse damage with her private email server.

“Other lives, including General Petraeus and many others, have been destroyed for doing far, far less,” said Trump at an October rally. “This is a conspiracy against you, the American people, and we cannot let this happen or continue.”

Last week, Petraeus told the BBC that he would likely be available to serve the Trump administration after holding posts in both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.

"I've been in a position before where a president has turned to me in the Oval Office in a difficult moment, without any pleasantries, and said, 'I'm asking you as your president and Commander in Chief to take command of the international security force in Afghanistan,'" said Petraeus. "The only response can be: 'Yes, Mr. President.'"

Photo credit: Hector Alejandro via Flickr Commons