Democrat Senators Admit They Already Regret Rubio Confirmation Vote
Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland expressed disappointment in the secretary of state on Sunday.
Democrat Sens. Chris Murphy and Chris Van Hollen said they regretted voting to approve Marco Rubio for secretary of state in separate interviews on Sunday.
In an interview with Dana Bash on CNN’s State of the Union, Murphy claimed that Rubio had failed to stand up to President Donald Trump as he had hoped.
“You voted to approve his nomination to be secretary of state,” Bash said. “You still think you made the right choice?”
“It was a mistake,” Murphy said twice. “I think a lot of us thought that Marco Rubio was going to stand up to Donald Trump on an issue like this.”
Murphy added that Rubio had proven a “great disappointment” to many senators.
Rubio was unanimously confirmed as secretary of state in the Senate in January after Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip, endorsed his nomination.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
In a separate interview with Fox News Sunday, Van Hollen also conceded that he wished he had not voted Rubio through.
“I regret that vote,” Van Hollen said. “As a member of the Senate, Secretary Rubio was somebody who stood up for American values, American principles.”
He also noted that Rubio had previously recognized Russia as the aggressor against Ukraine.
In his interview with CNN on Sunday, Murphy also said he would skip Trump’s first State of the Union address on Tuesday.
“I think that the State of Union speech is going to be a farce. I think it’s going to be a maga pep rally, not a serious talk to the nation,” Murphy said. “I think Donald Trump is going to spew a series of lies ... ”
“I’m just not going to be a part of that,” he added.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Unlock a year of full access to The Looker and The Daily Beast for $35.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Looker and The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog