*

Emil Michael, former Uber exec, is a leading contender,

sources

say

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Sam Graves, Garret Graves, Sean Duffy also considered

*

Elon Musk expected to influence DOT chief selection

*

Department has about a $110 billion annual budget

(Adds photos, hyperlinks)

By Rachael Levy, David Shepardson and Alexandra Ulmer

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) -

The Trump transition team is considering a former Uber

executive and three current or former Republican

congressmen - one of whom is now a Fox News host - to lead the

U.S. Department of Transportation, eight sources familiar with

the matter told Reuters.

Emil Michael, a Trump donor and technology entrepreneur who

knows Elon Musk socially, has emerged as a leading contender,

three of the sources said. Tech executives who backed Trump have

advocated for the former Uber executive, two of the sources

said.

Other candidates include Sam Graves - a U.S. House of

Representatives member from Missouri and chair of its Committee

on Transportation and Infrastructure - along with outgoing

Republican Representative Garret Graves, of Louisiana, and

former Wisconsin Representative Sean Duffy, now a Fox News host,

seven of the sources said.

Sam Graves said in a statement he would be honored if asked

to serve as DOT and would consider the position. A spokesperson

for Garret Graves did not comment on the DOT prospect but said

he had been advising Trump's campaign on transportation and

infrastructure issues.

Michael declined to comment. Duffy did not respond to a

request seeking comment.

The eight sources who spoke with Reuters in some cases gave

differing accounts of which candidate or candidates would most

likely be tapped for DOT chief position. It's possible other

contenders could emerge.

One of the sources said Elon Musk is a "fan" of Michael, the

tech entrepreneur. Michael is an investor in Musk's rocket

company SpaceX, according to Michael's website.

Reuters could not determine if Musk has advocated for

Michael's hiring as DOT chief.

TRANSITION PLANNING

Musk, the world's richest person and one of Trump's biggest

campaign backers, is expected to exert influence over the pick

for Transportation Department chief, among other Trump

appointments, Reuters has reported, citing a source close to

Trump and Musk's transition planning.

Musk contributed at least $119 million to a pro-Trump

spending group, federal records show.

The department with about a $110 billion annual budget,

oversees regulations of pipelines, railroads, cars, and trucks,

transit systems as well federal funding for highway repairs and

other infrastructure projects. It also sets fuel economy

standards for cars and trucks and regulates aviation and is

responsible for air traffic control through the Federal Aviation

Administration, one of its agencies.

The Department of Transportation, which includes the National

Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), regulates

automakers including Musk's Tesla. Musk has said he

will seek to push through changes in autonomous-vehicle

regulation favorable to Tesla under a Trump administration.

NHTSA is investigating Tesla for crashes, some fatal, involving

its "Full Self-Driving" system, which is not fully autonomous

and requires a human driver paying strict attention. The agency

is also probing whether the carmaker's recall of more than 2

million vehicles, announced last year, to install new autopilot

safeguards is adequate following 20 crashes in vehicles that had

the new software installed.

Tesla and Musk did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt declined to

comment on the transportation-chief candidates, saying the

choice would be announced after it's finalized.

Michael left Uber in 2017 following a workplace culture

probe by former US Attorney General Eric Holder. Uber hired

Holder to conduct a wide-ranging investigation into the

company's culture after a former engineer raised sexual

harassment complaints at the company.

One of Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick's closest associates,

Michael helped oversee mergers, acquisitions and fundraising.

Since leaving Uber, Michael started an investment company, has

served on start-up boards and advised technology-focused hedge

fund firms such as Coatue Management.

During the Obama administration, Michael served as a White

House fellow, working in the Department of Defense as a special

assistant to Robert Gates, from 2009 to 2011, and oversaw

projects in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan.