Top contenders for Trump's VA Sec (Cosgrove and Quinonez) withdraw their names from consideration

[highplainsdem]

Just breaking, a scoop from Bloomberg's Jennifer Jacobs:

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/815354081485197316

SCOOP: Trump's top choice for VA secretary, Dr. Toby Cosgrove, CEO of Cleveland Clinic, has withdrawn name, sources tell me and @spettypi.

Cosgrove was the top contender; Quinonez withdrew his name earlier today:

http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/luis-quinonez-withdraws-va-sec

Businessman Luis Quinonez on Saturday formally withdrew his name from consideration to be president-elect Donald Trump’s new Veterans Affairs secretary, citing health concerns.

The move leaves Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove as the most likely candidate to take over the Cabinet-level post, but also adds even more uncertainty to the appointment. Trump has already announced his picks for almost all of the other prominent administration positions, but transition officials have said he is taking time to find the perfect candidate for the embattled VA.

Editing to add more info on Cosgrove that was just tweeted by Jacobs:

https://twitter.com/JenniferJJacobs/status/815355145479458817

Trump's chief aides asked @TobyCosgroveMD if he could make commitment to VA sec job. He said he couldn't get out of Cleveland Clinic duties.