McCain, Graham Say They Will Vote For Rex Tillerson As Secretary Of State

UNITED STATES - JANUARY 10: Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., attend a news conference in the Capitol introducing a bipartisan bill to increase sanctions on Russia for it's role in U.S. co... UNITED STATES - JANUARY 10: Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., attend a news conference in the Capitol introducing a bipartisan bill to increase sanctions on Russia for it's role in U.S. computer hacking, January 10, 2017.(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) MORE LESS
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Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announced Sunday that they will vote in favor of Rex Tillerson, President Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of state.

McCain and Graham released a joint statement on Sunday announcing their support and addressed the subject in separate interviews.

“I will be voting in favor of his nomination,” McCain said on ABC’S “This Week” on Sunday morning.

He said it was not “an easy call” but said that he is giving Trump “the benefit of the doubt.”

“When there’s doubt the president, the incoming president, gets the benefit of the doubt, and that’s the way I’ve treated every president that I’ve had the obligation to vote for or against as a member of the United States Senate,” McCain said.

Graham discussed his support for Tillerson in an interview on CBS’ “Face The Nation.”

“This is why I am voting for him,” Graham said. “In my office visit he said that when America doesn’t lead, other people will, and the vacuum is always filled by bad actors. He said that we have to have a foreign policy that engages the world, we need to lead from the front.”

Both McCain and Graham seemed hesitant in recent weeks to back Tillerson as Trump’s pick to lead the State Department and questioned the outgoing ExxonMobil CEO’s policy toward Russia.

Graham said in December that he would have a “very hard” time voting to confirm Tillerson if he does not support new sanctions on Russia.

And as recently as Tuesday, McCain said he was “barely” leaning toward supporting Tillerson but that his mind was not made up “completely.”

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