Trump faces an early test with Republicans over Russia
None
NEW YORK - US President-elect Donald Trump is facing an early test with fellow Republicans over US relations with Russia, as lawmakers seek to investigate a CIA assessment that Russia interfered in the November election and issue warnings over the incoming president's potential pick for secretary of state.
Trump said Sunday the recent CIA assertion that Russian hacking had sought to help his candidacy was "ridiculous," and he praised ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who has emerged as the leading contender to lead the State Department.
But two key Senate Republicans—John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a leading Trump critic—joined with two Democrats in seeking a bipartisan investigation into the Kremlin's activities during the election. And McCain, the party's 2008 presidential nominee, questioned whether Trump should nominate Tillerson, citing the executive's longstanding business ties with Moscow.
"It's a matter of concern to me that he has such a close personal relationship with Vladimir Putin," McCain said of Tillerson. "And obviously they've done enormous deals together." In an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation," McCain said, "That would color his approach to Vladimir Putin and the Russian threat."
