WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) today voted to approve retired General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense and retired General John Kelly as Secretary of Homeland Security. After the votes, Senator King released the following statement:

            “After reviewing their records and listening to their testimonies, I believe General Mattis and General Kelly will serve the country well, lead their departments effectively, and, importantly, speak truth to power, which is vital to making good public policy and executing critical national security decisions,” Senator King said.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator King earlier this week voted to favorably report General Mattis’ nomination to the Senate floor for its consideration. He also supported a narrowly-tailored one-time exception to allow General Mattis to serve as Secretary of Defense.

Senator King also announced yesterday that he will vote in favor of Representative Mike Pompeo to serve as Director of the CIA and oppose the nomination of Scott Pruitt to serve as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Senator King will continue to evaluate every nominee on an individual basis.

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