Subject: Politico Playbook on Corker and Trump
From: "Yoxall, Collin" <[email-masked]>
To: Veepstakes <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 May 2016 06:02:51 -0700

BEHIND THE CURTAIN: Republican insiders are buzzing about Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), chair of Senate Foreign Relations, as an attractive, plausible vice-presidential pick for Trump. Corker - age 63, to Trump's 69 - surprised many in Washington by lavishing on-camera praise on Trump's foreign-policy speech two weeks ago. Last week, Corker told USA Today's Mary Troyan, who covers Tennessee for Gannett, that he "offered to help Donald Trump develop a foreign policy platform, making him one of the few senators to publicly embrace Trump ... Trump called him last week and he and Trump's campaign staff have talked since then."

Corker, among the wealthiest members of Congress, spent most of his life in business, and his bio says he brings a "results-driven businessman's perspective." A Republican who knows Corker well said: "He's an independent guy - kind of a tough guy - who's not afraid to swim upstream. He's frustrated by being in the Senate and not getting anything done. I think he'd really lean into this. He's not afraid to buck the old guard.And he's no dummy: He jumped out on the Trump thing early."

Another Great Mentioner told us: "Corker is not well-liked by his colleagues in the Senate. A big reason is he likes to get stuff done with Democrats. Trump might find that attractive."

Collin Yoxall
Research Associate, DNC
Office: 202-863-8126 X8126
Mobile: 334-703-1690
[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>