Hacked email shows Tim Cook, Bill Gates suggested as VP choices for Clinton

It’s not just Republicans who saw the allure of elevating a prominent business leader to the executive branch in 2016. A leaked email from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, released by the group WikiLeaks on Tuesday, shows that her team mentioned the names of Tim Cook, Bill Gates, Melinda Gates and Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, in the early stages of her running mate selection process.

In a March email, campaign chairman John Podesta told Clinton that the vetting process for her running mate had started and he offered a rough list of possible options.

The list was sent March 17, just two days after the March 15 primaries where Clinton swept all five states, though Missouri remained too close to call until the 17th. 

"Ok, I can breathe again! Congrats on a fabulous night. I am feeling like it's possible to get back to the longer term again," Podesta said before launching into the selection process for her running mate.

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Here’s the list of possibilities Podesta sent Clinton:

Xavier Becerra
Julian Castro
Eric Garcetti
Tom Perez
Ken Salazar
Tammy Baldwin
Kirsten Gillibrand
Amy Klobuchar
Claire McCaskill
Jeanne Shaheen
Debbie Stabenow
Elizabeth Warren
Michael Bennet
Sherrod Brown
Martin Heinrich
Tim Kaine
Terry McAuliffe
Chris Murphy
Tom Vilsack
Steve Benjamin
Cory Booker
Andrew Gillum
Eric Holder
Deval Patrick
Kasim Reed
Anthony Foxx
John Allen
Bill McRaven
Mike Mullen
Mary Barra
Michael Bloomberg
Ursula Burns
Tim Cook
Bill Gates
Melinda Gates
Muhtar Kent
Judith Rodin
Howard Schultz
Bernie Sanders