Trump appoints Matthew Whitaker as ambassador to NATO

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will nominate Matthew Whitaker as U.S. ambassador to NATO. The White House's relationship with the alliance could be very different under Trump than it has been under Joe Biden.

So far, the Republican has warned members several times that they must be able to arm and defend themselves on their own and that the United States cannot carry the full weight of the alliance.

Whitaker, 55, will thus step into a position of great relevance to White House foreign policy and action. He is a lawyer who has the confidence of Donald Trump.

In his announcement, Trump assured that Whitaker is "a strong warrior and a loyal patriot, who will ensure the advancement and defense of U.S. interests. Matt will strengthen relations with our NATO allies and stand firm against threats to peace and stability."

In Trump's first term, Whitaker served as the acting attorney general for three months. Much of his experience is in the field of law. Prior to his stint at the Justice Department, he was a federal prosecutor in Iowa.

Democratic voices have criticized the appointment, assuring that Whitaker lacks the experience necessary in international relations to be up to the job. Nor does he have experience in the military field, they note.

Whitaker gained some prominence for his criticism of Robert Mueller, who was the special prosecutor assigned to the investigation focused on finding out if there was a relationship between the Trump campaign in 2016 and the Kremlin. At the time, Whitaker, despite his criticism, refused to recuse himself as supervisor of that investigation.