Donald Trump

Trump Picks Energy Department Opponent Rick Perry for Energy Secretary: Sources

As governor, Perry championed the oil industry, questioning science that shows that greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate change

President-elect Donald Trump has made his pick for the leader of the Department of Energy: former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who famously once forgot that he wanted to abolish the Energy Department, sources told NBC News Monday night.

Perry, a rival of Trump's during the Republican presidential nominating campaign, met with Trump for about 90 minutes earlier in the day at Trump Tower in New York, NBC News reported. 

During Perry's first bid for the presidential nomination, in 2011, he famously stumbled through a primary debate, listing the three federal departments he'd eliminate if he were elected. However, he couldn't remember the Energy Department — the agency Trump now wants him to lead. The gaffe became known as Perry's "oops" moment.

As governor, Perry supported the oil industry. He now serves on the board of Energy Transfer Partners, the company constructing the Dakota Access Pipeline.

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