Mattis cruises through confirmation hearing
By Kristina Wong and Rebecca Kheel - 01/12/17 02:14 PM EST
Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis on Thursday cruised through his confirmation hearing despite senators' attempts to draw him out in areas where he might disagree with President-elect Donald Trump.
The Senate Armed Services Committee afterward easily passed a waiver exempting Mattis from a law that requires Defense secretaries to be retired from military service for at least seven years.
The vote was 24-3, with Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren
(Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), and Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), a Marine veteran, voting in the opposition.
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http://thehill.com/policy/defense/314028-mattis-cruises-through-confirmation-hearing