Two senior Republican lawmakers on Sunday said they would vote to approve President Donald Trump¡¯s nominee for secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, despite their concerns over the former ExxonMobil chief¡¯s relationship with Russia¡¯s president.

¡°After careful consideration, and much discussion with Mr. Tillerson, we have decided to support his nomination to be secretary of state,¡± Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said in a statement.

¡°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,¡± the two senators, who are both regarded as veteran foreign policy experts in the Senate, said in their statement.