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Branstad, Rastetter Called Trump Advisors

Gage Skidmore/flickr
Governor Terry Branstad

A spokesman for Governor Branstad confirms that the governor has agreed to advise the Donald Trump campaign on renewable fuels and other issues, what the spokesman calls “issues important to Iowans".  

But the spokesman declined to comment on reports that another prominent Iowan, agribusiness leader Bruce Rastetter, is on the list for a job in a Trump administration.  

It's not an official capacity with the campaign

Branstad spokesman Ben Hammes is downplaying the announcement about the governor advising Trump.

“It’s not an official capacity with the campaign,” Hammes said.  “We've met with Mr. Trump,  we've sat down with him privately. 

“We’ll continue to do that if Mr. Trump wants to listen,” Hammes said.

New Jersey media are reporting that Bruce Rastetter is under consideration for the position of Secretary of Agriculture if Trump becomes president.  

That's between the campaign and Mr. Rastetter

Hammes said that’s beween the campaign and Mr. Rastetter.

“I can't comment on anything related to him,” Hammes said.   “I don’t know that there were any conversations about Mr. Rastetter that we were involved in.”

News about Rastetter and Branstad appeared today on a New Jersey media website which quoted sources within the Trump campaign.

Both Branstad and Rastetter have ties to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.   Christie was an early and outspoken supporter of Trump’s candidacy after Christie dropped out of the race for the Republican nomination.