Sen. John McCain’s support, and that of Sen. Lindsey Graham, will allow President Donald Trump to breathe easier regarding the nomination of Rex Tillerson for secretary of state. | AP Photo McCain and Graham back Tillerson

After weeks of agonizing over Rex Tillerson’s ties to Russia, Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham said Sunday that they will vote for President Donald Trump’s secretary of state nominee, essentially clinching approval for Tillerson.

Though Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is still holding out on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Graham and McCain’s support will allow Trump to breathe easier, knowing that Tillerson will likely be confirmed later on the Senate floor. Tillerson needs just a bare majority of votes to win approval, and it appears highly unlikely now that Tillerson will lose the three or more Republican votes that could have scuttled his nomination.


McCain said he was “very cautious” about voting for Tillerson, the former ExxonMobil CEO who once received an Order of Friendship award from Russian President Vladimir Putin. But the Arizona senator said that his deference to a new president combined with several private conversations with Tillerson sealed the deal.

“He talked to me a lot about his views with Russia, a lot about the events that have taken place, about … what his duties were as a head of one of the world’s largest corporations,” McCain said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Listen, this wasn’t an easy call, but I also believe that when there’s doubt, the incoming president gets the benefit of doubt, and that’s the way I’ve treated every president.”

The Foreign Relations panel will vote on Tillerson’s nomination Monday, and Rubio still hasn’t decided whether to vote for Tillerson. The Florida senator said Friday that Tillerson has addressed “some” of his concerns that were brought to light at a brutal inquisition during Tillerson’s confirmation hearing, where Rubio criticized Tillerson for not coming down harder on Putin, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and Saudi Arabia.

McCain and Graham (R-S.C.) both offered poor reviews of Tillerson's performance afterward. But on Sunday morning after McCain's TV appearance, he and Graham released a joint a statement saying they would back Tillerson and not buck Trump.

"Though we still have concerns about his past dealings with the Russian government and President Vladimir Putin, we believe that Mr. Tillerson can be an effective advocate for U.S. interests," they said. "The views that Mr. Tillerson has expressed, both privately and publicly during the confirmation process, give us confidence that he will be a champion for a strong and engaged role for America in the world."

It's a move that could also give Rubio room to oppose Tillerson without tanking the nomination completely, although there is enormous internal pressure from Trump's allies for Rubio to support the nomination.

But even if Rubio and the committee’s Democrats vote against Tillerson’s nomination and it receives an “unfavorable” vote in committee, GOP leaders will still bring it to the floor for a confirmation vote. And McCain and Graham’s support helps ensure that Tillerson can get the requisite 50 votes to be confirmed, unless some unexpected opposition to him surfaces.