President-elect Donald Trump has designated Iowa native Matthew Whitaker, a conservative firebrand who filled in briefly as his acting attorney general in the first Trump administration, to serve as U.S. ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The announcement comes as Trump fills out his Cabinet and other top posts in preparation for his second term, which begins Jan. 20.
NATO was organized to defend Europe against Russia, and Trump has criticized how little European countries spend on defense compared with the United States.
“Matt is a strong warrior and loyal Patriot, who will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended,” Trump said in a statement. “Matt will strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability — He will put AMERICA FIRST.”
Former acting U.S. Attorney General Matthew Whitaker speaks at a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on Oct. 9, 2021.
Whitaker is an Ankeny native who earned a bachelor’s degree, MBA and law degree from the University of Iowa. He played tight end for the Iowa Hawkeyes football team and made an appearance in the Rose Bowl.
He unsuccessfully ran for Iowa state treasurer in 2002 and later became Iowa’s U.S. attorney after an appointment from President George W. Bush. After leaving that role, Whitaker made a bid for the Iowa Supreme Court in 2011 and ran for U.S. Senate in 2014 but lost in the primary.
Whitaker served briefly as acting attorney general from November 2018 to February 2019, between Trump firing Jeff Sessions and hiring Bill Barr.
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He has continued to act as a staunch ally for Trump in Iowa, endorsing him ahead of this year’s presidential caucuses and attending fundraisers for him in the general election.
Iowa’s Republican politicians touted the nomination Wednesday across social media.
“Congratulations to my dear friend and fellow Iowan @MattWhitaker46!” U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said on the website X. “You will serve our country well as the ambassador to NATO in Brussels. I look forward to your work to support our partners, deter our adversaries, and restore President Trump’s peace through strength!”
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley also sent his congratulations.
“Congrats 2 fellow Iowan Matt Whitaker the next US Amb to NATO nominated by Pres Trump Matt will do an excellent job representing American strength on the world stage,” he posted to X.
But others have expressed surprise. Whitaker had been seen as a top pick for Trump’s attorney general, given his legal background. But he does not have a foreign policy background.
On appearances on Fox News, Whitaker has echoed Trump’s calls to ensure other NATO allies pay their “fair share” into the organization.
“We are the world’s superpower and only superpower,” Whitaker said in a December 2019 Fox News interview. “Obviously we’re being challenged by countries like China and Russia that would like to compete with us at that level. And so I think we’re always going to have to spend more than our fair share to make sure that democracy and freedom is defended worldwide. But at the same time, that doesn’t mean that the people that we’ve allied with should get to sort of ride on our coattails.”
Whitaker’s previous appointment was contentious. He was challenged in lawsuits and by some lawmakers because he wasn’t already serving in a post confirmed by the Senate, as is required by law for someone to be elevated to acting attorney general. He previously served as chief of staff to Sessions.
Whitaker had argued in July 2016, in an opinion piece for USA TODAY, that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton should have been indicted for handling classified documents on a private email server while serving as secretary of state. Trump beat Clinton in the 2016 election.
Whitaker took office saying the Trump administration was for “law and order” and that the southern border was “in crisis.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump chooses Iowa’s Matthew Whitaker as NATO ambassador
