Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says he has narrowed his potential vice-presidential choices to five or six experienced politicians, the Associated Press reports.
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, told AP in an interview that he had not ruled out New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a former rival now supporting Trump's bid for the White House.
"I have a list of people that I would like," Trump was quoted as saying, adding he wanted his running mate to have political experience to help him "with legislation, getting things through" Washington if he wins the November 8 presidential election.
The New York billionaire businessman also said choosing someone who previously held elected office would make it easier to do background checks, in part because that person would have already been checked out by voters, the news media and to some extent, the government, according to the AP.
"For the most part, they've been vetted over the last 20 years," it quoted him as saying.
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Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, is heading up the vetting effort, a campaign aide said on Tuesday.
The vetting group includes former rival Ben Carson and Trump himself, the AP quoted the billionaire businessman as saying.
Trump said on Tuesday he would like House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan to chair the party's July convention, Fox News Channel reported.
"He is a very good man. He wants what's good for the party and I think we're going to have very positive results. I'd love frankly for him to stay and be chairman," Trump said of Ryan in an interview with Fox, according to excerpts released by the television channel.
