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GOP senator calls Australian ambassador after Trump call

Posted at 10:01 AM, Feb 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-02 12:01:58-05
A senior Senate Republican is seeking to assure Australia the U.S. remains a staunch ally following a tense discussion between President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
 
Sen. John McCain of Arizona says in a statement that he spoke Thursday morning with Joe Hockey, Australia's ambassador to the United States.
 
McCain says he expressed to Hockey his "unwavering support for the U.S.-Australia alliance."
 
He says Australia is an important military partner and there is a "deepening cooperation" between the two countries. McCain is the chairman of the Armed Services Committee.
 
The White House says Trump was "very strong" in his recent call with Turnbull over an Obama administration deal that would allow mostly Muslim refugees rejected by Australia to be resettled in the United States.