If he has his way, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) could be taking part in some contentious hearings for the next secretary of state. 

The 2008 presidential candidate plans to join the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he told Foreign Policy’s the Cable. 

Should President Obama nominate U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, McCain’s presence on the committee could make for some very contentious hearings. McCain has aggressively criticized Rice’s handling of the attack in Benghazi, calling her “not qualified” for the Cabinet position and “not very bright.” 

“I’ll wait and see if she’s nominated and we’ll move on from there,” he told the Cable. “She has the right to have hearings. We’ll see what happens in the hearings.” He will not challenge Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.) as the senior GOP member of the committee.

“Senator McCain has expressed interest in joining the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but no final decisions on committee assignments have been made,” McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said.