Tillerson picks up support in US Senate
Rex Tillerson has seen his prospects of becoming US secretary of state brighten after gaining the support of two influential Republican senators who had wavered on his 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 US interests," John McCain and Lindsey Graham said in a statement.
McCain, Graham and fellow Republican senator Marco Rubio have questioned whether Tillerson, a former Exxon Mobil executive with close business ties to Russia, has too many conflicts of interests to champion US policy abroad.
As CEO of Exxon Mobil, Tillerson spoke out against US sanctions levied on Moscow following its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
The penalties cost the energy giant hundreds of millions of dollars.
Further roiling the debate is US intelligence's assessment that Russia meddled in the presidential election to help Donald Trump defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the White House race.
McCain and Graham announced their decision before a vote on Tillerson by the Senate foreign relations committee on Monday.
While McCain and Graham are not 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.
Graham told CBS's Face the Nation he was persuaded to back Tillerson after a private meeting with the nominee.
According to Graham, Tillerson told him "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."
McCain said on ABC's This Week he talked to Tillerson about his views on Russia and his duty heading a major corporation.
"Listen, this wasn't an easy call," McCain said.
"But I also believe that, when there's doubt, the president, the incoming president, gets the benefit of the doubt."
