WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is expected to nominate attorney John Sullivan as deputy secretary of state, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing U.S. officials familiar with the discussions.

Sullivan, 57, has been a partner in the Washington office of law firm Mayer Brown and served in the George W. Bush administration in senior roles in the Commerce Department and the Defense Department, the Journal reported.

He was initially picked to become general counsel at the Pentagon, but the Trump administration recently decided to nominate him for the No. 2 post at the State Department, the Journal quoted the officials as saying.