Two Senior Republican Senators Joined Supporters of Tillerson

John McCain and Lindsey Graham, two senior Republican senators who had previously expressed concerns about Rex Tillerson's appointment as U.S. Secretary of State, issued a joint statement expressing their support for him, stating that they believe Mr. Tillerson can effectively advocate for U.S. interests. In the statement released on Sunday, January 22, signed by John McCain and Lindsey Graham, it was emphasized that 'after careful consideration and extensive discussions with Mr. Tillerson, we decided to support his nomination for Secretary of State.' These two Republican senators had previously raised concerns about Tillerson's ties to Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, during his tenure as CEO of ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil operates in dozens of countries and has contracts in significant locations such as Russia and Yemen. In 2011, it signed a joint exploration and production agreement with Rosneft, Russia's largest state-owned oil company. According to Agence France-Presse, Tillerson's friendship with Putin dates back to the 1990s when ExxonMobil executed a project on Sakhalin Island in Russia, and their relationship strengthened after Putin succeeded Boris Yeltsin. Additionally, according to the Russian network RT, Tillerson received the 'Friendship' medal from Putin in 2013 for his efforts to strengthen energy cooperation. This background raised opposition among some Republican figures regarding Tillerson's appointment as Secretary of State, as they were concerned about his close relationship with the Russian President and ExxonMobil's economic interests in the country. In the statement from the two senior Republican senators on Saturday, they acknowledged that some concerns 'remain regarding Mr. Tillerson's past business relations with the Russian government and Vladimir Putin,' but emphasized that despite this, 'we believe Mr. Tillerson can effectively defend U.S. interests.' Meanwhile, according to the Associated Press, these two Republican senators advised Donald Trump to support tougher sanctions against Russia due to its attempts to influence the U.S. elections through hacking Democratic emails. The news agency also quoted Senator McCain as saying that the decision to support Tillerson was not an easy one. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to vote on Tillerson's nomination for Secretary of State on Monday afternoon, Eastern Time, and previously, Trump referred to him in a letter to the Senate as 'an excellent choice to lead the State Department' who has 'a deep understanding of the geopolitical situation in the world.' Tillerson's nomination for the Secretary of State position has garnered support from several senior Republican politicians, including Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, and Robert Gates.