William Cummings

USA TODAY

Some conservatives are not in love with the idea of Mitt Romney being appointed President-elect Donald Trump's secretary of State.

Former speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and 2016 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee made their objections to the former Massachusetts governor clear in public statements since rumors of him becoming the leading contender for the job surfaced.

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Huckabee told Fox News Wednesday that picking Romney "would be a real insult to all those Donald Trump voters who worked really hard. That’s what I think he has to stop and consider."

Similarly, Gingrich expressed doubts about a potential Romney State Department's ability to "represent the kind of tough-minded America-first policies that Trump has campaigned on.”

“I can think of 20 other people who would be more naturally compatible with the Trump vision of foreign policy," Gingrich added during a Fox News interview Tuesday night.

On Thursday, Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, tweeted that she was receiving a "deluge" of social media and private communications as the result of a Politico article that detailed Trump loyalists warning against naming Romney as secretary of state.

Their other main objection is that the 2012 GOP candidate was a leading Republican voice against Trump as the party's nominee, and he leveled several brutal attacks on the businessman during the campaign, saying his “promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University," and calling him a "fraud."

"I’m still very unhappy that Mitt did everything he could to derail Donald Trump,” Huckabee said. “He didn’t just go after him from the standpoint of ‘I disagree with his policy on immigration, I disagree with his policy on taxes.’ He attacked him on a personal level about his character, integrity, his honor.’”

Huckabee said the only way Romney “could even be considered" for secretary of State is if “he goes to a microphone in a very public place and repudiates everything he said" about Trump being unfit for the presidency.

Gingrich questioned Romney's loyalty and the wisdom of choosing someone as "actively hostile as he’s been.”

“I think the vast majority of Trump supporters will initially be very unhappy and will be reminded of the things Romney said,” Gingrich said.

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