McCain: I Couldn't Have Picked a Better Team

Sen. John McCain on Sunday praised President Donald Trump's national security selections, declaring "I couldn't have picked a better team."

In an interview with ABC News' "This Week," the Arizona Republican also said he intended to vote to confirm Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

"I have the utmost confidence in General [James] Mattis, General [Michael] Flynn, General [John] Kelly, Dan Coates," McCain said of Trump's Defense Secretary, national security adviser, Homeland Security Secretary and director of national intelligence, respectively.

"I couldn't have picked a better team. So I'm confident that he'll listen to them and be guided by them."

McCain was more circumspect about Trump, responding to a question about whether he had confidence in the president, replied: "I do not know… because he's made so many comments that are contradictory,"

"I trust the individuals he's appointed," McCain said. "I believe in them. I have worked with them over many years."

McCain said that confidence now extended to Tillerson as well.

"I will be voting in favor of his nomination," he said. "I have [had] conversations with him. My concerns have been about our relations [with] Russia. And his past relations…. I'm very cautious about this."

"He talked to me a lot about his views about Russia, the events that have taken place, the fact of what his duties were as head of one of the world's largest corporations," McCain said. "This was not an easy call. But I also believe that when there's doubt, the president… gets the the benefit of the doubt. That's the way I have treated every president I have had the obligation to vote for or against as a member of the United States Senate."
 

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