Nominee for state picks up support

Trump’s selection of Tillerson gets boost from McCain, Graham

WASHINGTON — Rex Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil executive with close business ties to Russia, saw his prospects of becoming secretary of state brighten Sunday after gaining the support of two influential Republican senators who had wavered on the nomination.

“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,” Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a statement.

Many Democrats and Republicans McCain, Graham and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida have questioned whether Tillerson has too many conflicts of interest to champion U.S. policy abroad, especially in Russia.

As CEO of Exxon Mobil, Tillerson spoke out against U.S. sanctions levied on Moscow following its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014. The penalties cost the energy giant millions of dollars.

McCain and Graham announced their decision before a vote Monday on Tillerson by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. While McCain and Graham aren’t committee members — McCain leads the committee that oversees military policy, while Graham oversees a subcommittee on military personnel — their signal of support could make it tougher for Rubio to remain a holdout.

Their support also would make it tough for Democrats to peel off enough Republican votes to oppose his nomination. The Senate is divided by 52 Republicans and 48 Democrats; Tillerson’s confirmation needs a simple majority.