President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he is nominating former acting Attorney General Matthew G. Whitaker as the United States' ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Whitaker worked in the Trump administration as the acting attorney general in late 2018 and early 2019, serving as the bridge between Attorneys General Jeff Sessions and William Barr. Whitaker's appointment as acting attorney general was the subject of a lawsuit.
Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh sued the Trump administration claiming that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and not Whitaker, should be named the acting attorney general as Whitaker had not been Senate confirmed. Rosenstein was the acting attorney general for mere hours after Sessions' resignation.
Several federal courts dropped the case and Whitaker continued serving in the role until the Senate confirmed William Barr in 2019.
He also was a U.S. attorney during the Bush and Obama administrations in the southern district of Iowa.
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Most past NATO ambassadors have had either extensive diplomatic or elected office backgrounds. Whitaker would become among only a handful of NATO ambassadors to serve without any past elected or diplomatic experience.
"I have full confidence in Matt’s ability to represent the United States with Strength, Integrity, and unwavering Dedication. I look forward to working closely with him as we continue to promote PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, Freedom, and Prosperity around the World," Trump wrote.
The role is subject to Senate confirmation.
NATO is a 32-member alliance that has agreed by treaty to come to each other's defense if attacked. The only time Article 5 of NATO has been implemented was following the attack on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001. NATO troops joined U.S. forces to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The NATO alliance has grown since Trump was last in office as Finland and Sweden have joined. There has also been talk about how much of a role NATO should have in Ukraine's defense against Russia.
During Trump's first term, he was at times critical of the alliance as he claimed some members were not spending enough of their GDP on defense.
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