‘Why’d You Vote Yes?’ Chris Hayes Confronts Senate Democrat Who Just Voted To Confirm Trump Nominee 

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes asked Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) about the senator’s vote to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to China.

The nomination of former Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) passed a procedural hurdle on Monday, as more than a dozen Democrats voted to invoke cloture on his nomination. On Tuesday, 16 Democrats voted to confirm the nominee, despite his history of election denialism and outsourcing jobs while in the private sector. Perdue had also been dogged by allegations of insider trading.

Shortly after voting for Perdue, Gallego appeared on All In on MSNBC, where he railed against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Toward the end of the interview, Hayes pivoted to the senator’s most recent vote.

“You voted against Pete Hegseth, along with all the Democrats,” the host noted. “David Perdue was up for ambassador to China. He, of course, served in the U.S. Senate for Georgia before losing in a special election. And I noticed that you were an ‘aye’ vote. You were one of, I think, 16 Democrats who voted for him. And I’m just curious… How are you thinking about this, encountering these confirmation votes? And why’d you vote yes for Mr. Perdue?”

“Well, we’re looking at every opportunity and we’re making assessments based on what’s best for the country and what’s best for my state in Arizona,” Gallego replied. “Right now, obviously, we’re in a major trade war with China that’s affecting the economy of this country… Former Senator Perdue has actual experience when it comes to dealing with China. And at this point, we are going to take a risk that maybe it can be better than what it is. And, you know, we have been wrong, by the way, in something that we’ve supported. We have been right in some of the people we’ve supported. But at the end of the day, I have to figure out what is the best for the state and what is best for this country. And sometimes it’s going to be supporting some Republicans because even worse, sometimes the alternative to those people could even be even worse than what we’re seeing presently in front of us.”

Watch above via MSNBC.