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President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday tapped Matthew Whitaker as his ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

"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."

Trump has long criticized defense spending by other NATO member countries, arguing that the U.S. was shouldering an oversize burden for allies with smaller contributions. His pick for ambassador is likely to take on that stance, sparking some consternation across the Atlantic Ocean from the United States' European allies.

After Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, NATO countries pledged to move toward spending 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense by 2024. 

, 23 of the 31 member countries are estimated to have hit that target, with the U.S. contributing 3.38 percent of its GDP.

Whitaker has a relationship with Trump going back to his first term in office, when he worked at the Justice Department, initially as chief of staff to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and then briefly as acting attorney general after Sessions was pushed out in 2018.

He also served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa during the George W. Bush administration. Whitaker has deep roots in Iowa; he grew up there and played football at the University of Iowa.

During Trump's first administration, Whitaker 

 of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia.

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Stephen Fowler

President-elect Donald Trump tapped Matthew Whitaker as his ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which Trump has long criticized for taking advantage of U.S. defense spending.

Trump picks Matthew Whitaker for ambassador to NATO

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