Donald Trump said he has selected former acting US Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as US ambassador to NATO, the key Western alliance about which the president-elect has expressed doubts for years.
Trump, in a statement, said Whitaker was a “strong warrior and loyal patriot” who would “ensure that the interests of the United States are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relations with our NATO allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to peace.” And stability.”
Whitaker’s selection as the country’s representative to NATO is unusual, given his background in law enforcement rather than foreign policy. Whitaker was considered a potential pick for attorney general, a position that Trump instead gave to Matt Gaetz, a fierce loyalist who is seen as divisive even within his own party.
NATO’s position is particularly sensitive given Trump’s respect for the alliance’s value and his complaints that many members are not meeting their commitments to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense.
Whitaker is a former U.S. attorney in Iowa who served as acting attorney general between November 2018 and February 2019, as special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference was nearing its end.
Before that, he was Trump’s first chief of staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, before he was chosen to replace his boss after Sessions was fired amid ongoing anger over his decision to withdraw from the Russia investigation. Whitaker held the position for several months, on an acting basis and without Senate approval, until William Barr was confirmed as Attorney General in February 2019.
Whitaker has been a relentless critic of the federal criminal cases against Trump, which appear to evaporate after Trump wins the election. Whitaker has used his regular appearances on Fox News to join other Republicans in denouncing what they see as the politicization 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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Retired General Philip Breedlove, former NATO Supreme Commander, said the ambassador’s position was “extremely important” within the US and NATO security framework, as the direct representative of US presidents in the decision-making process within the alliance.
“The bottom line is they are seen as having the credibility of the president when they speak up,” Breedlove said.
Former ambassadors to NATO generally have years of diplomatic, political or military experience. Trump’s first ambassador to NATO, former Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, did not do so, although she was involved in foreign policy issues while in Congress. Breedlove said a security background was not necessary for the position, but being seen as having direct contact with the president was.
“They must be seen to actually represent what the president intends. He added: “Obtaining the president’s confidence is the most important thing in this position.”
During his 2016 election campaign, Trump alarmed Western allies when he warned that the United States, under his leadership, might abandon its NATO treaty obligations and resort only to defending countries that meet the transatlantic alliance’s defense spending targets.
Ultimately, Trump, as president, upheld the mutual defense clause in NATO’s Article 5, which states that an armed attack against one or more of its members shall be considered an attack against all members. But he often portrayed NATO allies as stuck in the American military establishment, and openly questioned the value of the military alliance that has defined American foreign policy for decades.
In the years that followed, he continued to threaten not to stand up for NATO members who failed 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” to “delinquent” countries.
“You didn’t pay?” “Are you in default?” Trump recounted saying at a rally in February. “No, I won’t 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.”
“Any suggestion that allies will not stand up for each other undermines our entire security, including that of the United States, and exposes American and European soldiers to increased danger,” Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General at the time, said in response.
NATO reported earlier this year that in 2023, 11 member states met the benchmark of spending 2% of their GDP on defense and that this number had risen to 18 in early 2024 – up from just three in 2014. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine has spurred 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 gone into NATO,” even though the countries do not pay NATO directly.
In his announcement, Trump noted that Whitaker is a former Iowa State football player.
Whitaker has faced questions about his past business dealings, including his ties to an invention promotion company that has been accused of misleading consumers.
The Wall Street Journal in 2018 published an email revealing the FBI’s investigation into World Patent Marketing Inc. The July 10, 2017, email was from an FBI victim specialist to a person who, the newspaper said, was an alleged victim of a company. A Justice Department spokeswoman told the newspaper at the time that Whitaker “was not aware of any fraudulent activity.”
When Whitaker was appointed acting attorney general, he was questioned in a contentious House hearing by Democrats who examined his perceived lack of prior experience serving as the nation’s chief law enforcement official.
New York State Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, now the top Democrat in the House of Representatives, said in a speech: “We are all trying to figure out: who you are, where you come from and how you became head of the Department of Justice.” One point.
When Whitaker tried to respond, Jeffries interrupted, saying: “Mr. Whitaker, that was a statement, not a question.
Among those selected for the NATO job in recent years are retired General Douglas Lute, the current US ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, former acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, and academic diplomats who previously served on the National Security Council such as Ivo Daalder. And Kurt Volker.
