What an embarrassment that he's a former Hawkeye!:
It seems like Matt Whitaker has gone missing at the circus.
To my knowledge, Whitaker, the Iowan who became acting U.S. attorney general during the first Trump administration, doesn’t have a brain worm. He has not shot a puppy, as far as I know.
This is likely why Whitaker’s nomination to be U.S. Ambassador to NATO hasn’t received much attention since it was announced a couple of weeks ago.
Whitaker isn’t a draw-dropping pick But it’s a tough job, given Donald Trump’s hostility toward our most important defense alliance.
“‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’” Trump said in February, recalling a conversation with an official from NATO member asking if the U.S. would offer protection from a Russian invasion. “‘No I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.’”
This from perhaps the most famous deadbeat of all time.
Whitaker played football at the University of Iowa. He served as U.S. Attorney in southern Iowa and is a staunch Christian conservative. His highest profile case involved charging an openly gay Democratic lawmaker with attempted extortion. A jury swiftly found the lawmaker not guilty.
He was on the advisory board of World Patent Marketing, which sold a variety of goods, including a masculine toilet designed to “well-endowed” men. Federal officials deemed the company a “scam” and fined it $26 million. Whitaker was not accused of wrongdoing.
According to the Washington Speakers Bureau website, Whitaker can speak on a lot of issues. But that doesn’t include foreign policy or national defense.
You can hire Indiana Jones to find Whitaker’s foreign policy views. He’ll largely come up empty.
During the Republican primary campaign for U.S. Senate in 2014, Whitaker said Russia’s move to grab Crimea was no threat to America’s interests. We now know it was a big step toward the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and maybe a world war. That seems interesting.
He told Iowa Public Radio the military budget should not be spared from cuts. “I don’t think we should be the world’s police force,” he said. And, of course, Benghazi!
A lack of experience isn’t ideal. But, according to the Associated Press, Retired Air Force General Philip Breedlove said it’s most important for the ambassador to have "the credibility of the president when they speak."
Whitaker has benefited more from Trump’s presidency than any other Iowa politician. Before becoming U.S. attorney, Whitaker lost the 2002 race for state treasurer. In 2014 he finished fourth in a five-way GOP Senate primary with 7.5% of the vote. His political future didn’t look great.
Then came Trump. Whitaker made several appearances on CNN sharply criticizing the Mueller investigation into allegations of Russian election interference. Whitaker caught the president’s eye, according to the New York Times.
He was hired as chief of staff for Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump regarded Whitaker as his inside eyes and ears, the Times reported, in the enemy camp at the Department of Justice. Whitaker met with Trump more than a dozen times.
In November 2018, Sessions, under intense criticism from Trump to end the investigation, was asked to resign. With Sessions gone, Trump appointed his loyalist, Matt Whitaker, as acting Attorney General of the United States. There were fears that Whitaker would defund the Mueller probe, but that didn’t happen.
So now, if confirmed, it’s on to Brussels.
It will be Whitaker’s job to explain Trump’s reckless broadsides to our NATO allies. Luckily, Whitaker is clearly fluent in Trump.
(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com
www.thegazette.com
It seems like Matt Whitaker has gone missing at the circus.
To my knowledge, Whitaker, the Iowan who became acting U.S. attorney general during the first Trump administration, doesn’t have a brain worm. He has not shot a puppy, as far as I know.
This is likely why Whitaker’s nomination to be U.S. Ambassador to NATO hasn’t received much attention since it was announced a couple of weeks ago.
Whitaker isn’t a draw-dropping pick But it’s a tough job, given Donald Trump’s hostility toward our most important defense alliance.
“‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’” Trump said in February, recalling a conversation with an official from NATO member asking if the U.S. would offer protection from a Russian invasion. “‘No I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.’”
This from perhaps the most famous deadbeat of all time.
Whitaker played football at the University of Iowa. He served as U.S. Attorney in southern Iowa and is a staunch Christian conservative. His highest profile case involved charging an openly gay Democratic lawmaker with attempted extortion. A jury swiftly found the lawmaker not guilty.
He was on the advisory board of World Patent Marketing, which sold a variety of goods, including a masculine toilet designed to “well-endowed” men. Federal officials deemed the company a “scam” and fined it $26 million. Whitaker was not accused of wrongdoing.
According to the Washington Speakers Bureau website, Whitaker can speak on a lot of issues. But that doesn’t include foreign policy or national defense.
You can hire Indiana Jones to find Whitaker’s foreign policy views. He’ll largely come up empty.
During the Republican primary campaign for U.S. Senate in 2014, Whitaker said Russia’s move to grab Crimea was no threat to America’s interests. We now know it was a big step toward the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and maybe a world war. That seems interesting.
He told Iowa Public Radio the military budget should not be spared from cuts. “I don’t think we should be the world’s police force,” he said. And, of course, Benghazi!
A lack of experience isn’t ideal. But, according to the Associated Press, Retired Air Force General Philip Breedlove said it’s most important for the ambassador to have "the credibility of the president when they speak."
Whitaker has benefited more from Trump’s presidency than any other Iowa politician. Before becoming U.S. attorney, Whitaker lost the 2002 race for state treasurer. In 2014 he finished fourth in a five-way GOP Senate primary with 7.5% of the vote. His political future didn’t look great.
Then came Trump. Whitaker made several appearances on CNN sharply criticizing the Mueller investigation into allegations of Russian election interference. Whitaker caught the president’s eye, according to the New York Times.
He was hired as chief of staff for Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump regarded Whitaker as his inside eyes and ears, the Times reported, in the enemy camp at the Department of Justice. Whitaker met with Trump more than a dozen times.
In November 2018, Sessions, under intense criticism from Trump to end the investigation, was asked to resign. With Sessions gone, Trump appointed his loyalist, Matt Whitaker, as acting Attorney General of the United States. There were fears that Whitaker would defund the Mueller probe, but that didn’t happen.
So now, if confirmed, it’s on to Brussels.
It will be Whitaker’s job to explain Trump’s reckless broadsides to our NATO allies. Luckily, Whitaker is clearly fluent in Trump.
(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com
Opinion: Whitaker’s Trump loyalty pays off again
FILE – Former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker waves as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a …
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