What you need to know about Trump’s NATO ambassador-elect Matt Whitaker – National
Donald Trump says he has chosen former acting US attorney general Matt Whitaker to serve as US ambassador to NATO, a bedrock Western alliance the president-elect has expressed doubts about for years.
Trump, in a statement, said Whitaker is “a brave hero and a loyal patriot” who will “ensure that the interests of the United States are advanced and protected” and “strengthen the relationship with NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to peace and stability.”
Whitaker’s selection as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is unusual, given his background in law enforcement and not foreign policy. Whitaker had been considered a possible candidate for attorney general, a position Trump has given to Matt Gaetz, a loyalist who has proven to be a divisive member of his party.
NATO’s position is particularly critical given Trump’s view of the importance of the alliance and his complaints that many members are not meeting their obligations to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense.
Whitaker was the 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 drew to a close.
Prior to that, he was chief of staff to Trump’s first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, before he was named his boss after Sessions was fired amid ongoing furor over his decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Whitaker held the position for several months, acting and without Senate confirmation, until William Barr was confirmed as attorney general in February 2019.
Whitaker has been a frequent critic of the criminal charges against Trump, which seemed to disappear after Trump won the election. Whitaker used a regular appearance on Fox News to join other Republicans in protesting the political dominance of the Justice Department over the past four years.
Whitaker has no apparent foreign policy or national security experience, making him unknown to many in US security circles.
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General Philip Breedlove, a former NATO commander, said the ambassador’s position is “incredibly important” within the US and NATO security framework, as the direct representative of the US president in decision-making within the alliance.
“The important thing is that they seem to have the confidence of the president when they speak,” said Breedlove.
Previous NATO ambassadors usually have years of experience in politics, politics or the military. Trump’s first NATO ambassador, former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, did not, although he was involved in foreign policy issues during his time in Congress. Breedlove said a security background is not important to the position, but there appears to be a direct line to the president.
“They must be seen as representing what the president intends. The trust and confidence of the president is the most important thing in that position,” he said.
In his 2016 campaign, Trump alarmed the Western allies by warning that the United States, under his leadership, may abandon its commitments to the NATO agreement and come only to the defense of countries that meet the objectives of spending money to protect the transatlantic alliance.
Trump, as president, ended up authorizing NATO’s tier 5 self-defense clause, which states that an armed attack by one or more members will be considered an attack by all members. But he often portrayed NATO allies as leeches on the American military and openly questioned the importance of the military alliance that has defined American foreign policy for decades.
Over the years, he has continued to threaten that he will not protect 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 the hell it wants” to “rebellious” countries.
“’You didn’t pay? Are you a crook?’” Trump recounted speaking at the February rally. “‘No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You have to pay. You have to pay your bills.’”
Jens Stoltenberg, who was the secretary general of NATO at the time, responded by saying that “any suggestion that the allies will not protect each other undermines all our security, including the US, and puts the American and European forces in great danger.”
NATO reported earlier this year that, by 2023, 11 member states would meet the target of spending 2% of their GDP on defense and that that number would increase to 18 by early 2024 – up from three in 2014. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has encouraged more military use by other NATO members.
Trump has tried to take credit for that expansion, and boasted that, as a result of his threats, “hundreds of billions of dollars flowed into NATO,” even though countries don’t directly pay for NATO.
Whitaker, Trump noted in his announcement, was an Iowa football player.
Whitaker has faced questions about his past business dealings, including his relationship with a product development company that was accused of misleading consumers.
The Wall Street Journal in 2018 published an email revealing the FBI’s investigation into the company, World Patent Marketing Inc. The email, dated July 10, 2017, was from an FBI victim specialist to someone who, the newspaper said, was a victim of a crime. company. A Justice Department spokesman told the newspaper at the time that Whitaker “knew nothing of the fraud.”
When Whitaker was appointed acting attorney general, he was sued by House Democrats who argued that he did not have the prior experience to serve as a state law enforcement officer.
“We’re all trying to figure out: Who is he, where did he come from and how did he become the head of the Department of Justice,” said New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, now the leader of the House Democrats, in a statement. one point.
When Whitaker tried to answer, Jeffries interrupted: “Mr. Whitaker, it was a statement, not a question. “
Among those who have been selected for NATO work in the past years include Gen. Retired Douglas Lute, current US ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, former Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and former National Security Council communications academics like Ivo Daalder. and Kurt Volker.
