Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who voted against Blinken's nomination for deputy secretary of state under President Obama, said he supports Blinken this time, calling him "an outstanding choice." When Biden became vice president in 2009, Blinken also moved over to the Administration as Biden's national security adviser and later promoted to deputy national security adviser to President Obama. AFTER JOINING BURISMA, HUNTER BIDEN REQUESTED MEETINGS WITH ANTONY BLINKEN: STATE DEPT. Blinken was already confirmed once before by the Senate on Dec. 16, 2014, when Obama nominated Blinken to become deputy secretary of state under John Kerry. And Blinken's wife, Evan Ryan, was also confirmed as assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs during the Obama administration.

Source: Fox News January 22, 2021 21:33 UTC