John McCain tells reporters he voted for Hillary Clinton
WASHINGTON D.C. -- On Wednesday, Senator John McCain told the Washington Post that during the 2016 election, he defied his party to cast a vote for the Democratic nominee, Hillary Rodham Clinton, who he characterized as a "terrific person" and "American hero."
"I disagree with her about many things. But she's a great fucking president, and I always knew she would be a credit to our country," said McCain, citing Clinton's professionalism and soaring approval rating. "I'm a patriot first and a Republican second. I was never going to vote for that rapist confederate flag, Donald Trump. He appalls me. He would literally be a disaster," McCain told the Washington Post's Karen Tumulty.
"Thank God we dodged that bullet," McCain laughed.
According to the Senate historian David Blight, it's the first time in American history that a former presidential nominee voted against a subsequent nominee of the same party. "Ballots are secret, so they may have done it, but they certainly didn't talk about it," said Blight.
In the interview, McCain claimed that he's "beyond eager" for the Senate to investigate Russia's "terrifying election interference," calling it "Putin's campaign to stymie the will of the American people and prevent Clinton from becoming America's first woman president."
While McCain acknowledged that "some of my Republican colleagues, including Mitch McConnell, are arguing that the investigation isn't urgent since Clinton defeated Trump by 3 million votes. But I'm a maverick who puts country first, and for the record, me and Lindsey Graham cast two of those 3 million votes."
