John McCain comfortable waiting for more facts, and a healthy debate, on both Chris Christie and Ted Cruz

He's been called a "maverick". And a "badass". And, even, the real life version of actor Ed Harris (though his wife thinks he's too cute for such a comparison).

However, on Thursday evening John McCain was simply a guest of Piers Morgan.

A frequent visitor to the program, the one-time presidential candidate joined the host for a primetime interview, sharing some thoughts on a few of the names currently dominating the GOP headlines.

"I'll let the Republican party judge but he has become an effective force in the Republican political scene. I respect that," said McCain, referring to embattled Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who chatted with CNN's Dana Bash earlier this week. "I want to have this debate within my party but I hope it would be respectful."

If there's a Republican figure that's faced as much scrutiny as Cruz in the last six months, it's Christ Christie, who has been battling with the backlash of "Bridgegate" and the misappropriated Sandy funds scandal.

For McCain, though, the New Jersey governor deserves some wiggle room and some trust from his constituents.

"I think he deserves the innocence until proven guilty," said Thursday's guest, fully admitting that he himself had weathered a storm early in his career. "I think that he certainly has plenty of time to recover from this. I believe he's been a very good governor of a Democrat state."

Watch the clip for more of McCain and Morgan, and for the next edition of "Piers Morgan Live," tune to CNN every night at 9p.
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