Donald Trump says he has chosen former acting attorney general Matt Whittaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO, a Western alliance the president-elect has expressed skepticism about for years. are
Trump said in a statement that Whitaker was “a strong warrior and loyal patriot” who would “advance and defend America’s interests” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO allies, and bring peace to the United States.” Persistence and stability in the face of danger.”
Whittaker’s selection as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is unusual, given that his background is in law enforcement and not foreign policy. Whittaker was considered a possible choice for attorney general, a position Trump gave instead to Matt Gaetz, a staunch loyalist who is considered divisive even within his own party.
NATO’s position is particularly sensitive given Trump’s question of the value of the alliance and his complaints that many members are failing to meet their pledges to spend at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense. are not doing
Whittaker is a former U.S. attorney in Iowa and served as acting attorney general between November 2018 and February 2019, as special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election meddling was winding down.
Before that, he was chief of staff to Jeff Sessions, Trump’s first attorney general, before succeeding his boss after he was fired amid outrage over Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. be selected for Whittaker held the position for several months, on an acting basis and without Senate confirmation, until William Barr was confirmed as attorney general in February 2019.
Whittaker has been a relentless critic of the federal criminal cases against Trump, which appeared to end after Trump’s election victory. Whittaker has used regular appearances on Fox News to join other Republicans in calling for a rejection of the Justice Department’s politicization over the past four years.
During his 2016 campaign, Trump warned Western allies that the U.S. under his leadership could abandon its commitments to the NATO treaty and come to the defense only of countries that are part of the transatlantic alliance. meet defense spending targets.
Trump, as president, eventually ratified the mutual defense clause of NATO’s Article 5, which states that an armed attack against one or more of its members will be considered an attack against all members. But he often portrayed NATO allies as leeches on the U.S. military and openly questioned the importance of the military alliance that has defined U.S. foreign policy for decades.
In the years since, he has continued to threaten not to defend NATO members who fail to meet spending targets.
Earlier this year, Trump said that, when he was president, he warned NATO allies that he would encourage “Russia” to “do whatever they want” with “criminal” countries.
“You didn’t pay?” You’re a criminal?” Trump said at a February rally. “‘No I’m not going to protect you. In fact, I’m going to encourage them to do whatever they want. You’ve got to pay. You’ve got to pay your bills.'”
At the time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg responded that “any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the United States, and would put American and European troops at increased risk.” is.”
NATO reported earlier this year that in 2023, 11 member states had met the benchmark of spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense, and by early 2024 that number had increased to 18, up from 2014. It was only three. Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine prompted additional military spending by some NATO members.
Trump has often tried to take credit for the increase, boasting that, as a result of his threats, “hundreds of billions of dollars have flowed into NATO,” even though countries do not pay directly to NATO.
After Trump was elected in 2016, he proposed to nominate Richard Grenell to the post of NATO, but the choice was opposed by some, including Rex Tillerson, Trump’s first secretary of state. The job eventually went to former Sen. Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.
Former NATO ambassadors usually have years of diplomatic, political or military experience. In recent years they have included Hutchison, retired General Douglas Levitt, the current US ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, former Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, and diplomacy academics who previously served on the National Security Council, such as That Ivo Dalder and Kurt Volker. .
Whittaker, Trump noted in his announcement, is a former Iowa football player.
Whittaker has faced questions about his past business dealings, including his relationship with an invention promotion company that was accused of misleading consumers.
The Wall Street Journal published an email in 2018 that revealed an FBI investigation into the company, World Patent Marketing Inc. The July 10, 2017, email was from an FBI victim specialist to an alleged victim, according to the newspaper. A spokesperson for the company’s justice department told the newspaper at the time that Whittaker was “not aware of any fraudulent activity.”
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Colon reported from New York. AP Diplomat writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
