WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Matt Whitaker late Tuesday as President Donald Trump’s U.S. ambassador to NATO, a crucial emissary to the Western alliance at a time of growing concern about the American commitment abroad.
Whitaker, who had served in Trump’s first administration at the Justice Department, brings a law enforcement background rather than deep foreign policy or national security ties. He was confirmed by the Senate on a vote of 52-45.
During a confirmation hearing, Whitaker assured senators that the Trump administration’s commitment to the military alliance was “ironclad.”
Trump has long been skeptical, and often hostile, toward the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which was formed by the U.S. and other countries in the aftermath of World War II as a deterrent to potential aggression from what was then the Soviet Union.
The U.S. commitment has been called into question due to Trump’s sharp criticism of European allies and his eagerness to build ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump has pushed other countries to contribute a greater share of their budgets to their the own defense, rather than relying on the U.S.
Whitaker had been chief of staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions during Trump’s first term, and then was chosen to become acting attorney general when his boss was fired after recusing himself from the department’s investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 election.
He had been considered for the top job in the Justice Department with the president’s return to the White House, but instead was tapped for the ambassadorship.
In nominating him, Trump said in a statement that Whitaker was “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended.”