Amata applauds colleague Rep. Waltz as National Security Advisor nominee

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is applauding the nomination of her colleague Congressman Mike Waltz of Florida, a former Green Beret, as National Security Advisor.

Reps. Amata and Waltz serve together on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and its Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific. Congressman Waltz also works directly on national security issues as part of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the House Armed Services Committee.

“Congressman Waltz has an exceptional range of experience and is a strong addition to the President’s national security team,” said Congresswoman Aumua Amata. “He is the first Green Beret elected to Congress, where we will certainly miss him, but his knowledge and background will be a greater asset to the country as National Security Advisor.”

Congressman Waltz served in the U.S. Army Special Forces, the Green Berets, after graduating Ranger School. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa. A combat Veteran, Waltz was decorated with four Bronze Stars, including two for valor.

He continues to serve in the Army National Guard where he holds the rank of Colonel.

Col. Waltz has worked in defense policy roles at the Pentagon under Defense Secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates, and worked at the White House as the counterterrorism adviser to the Vice President. He is a published author, and served several terms in Congress.

WHAT TO KNOW

The nod came despite simmering concerns on Capitol Hill about Trump tapping members of the House, where the final tally is still uncertain and there are worries about pulling any GOP members from the chamber because that would force a new election to fill the empty seat. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter before Trump made a formal announcement.

The move would put Waltz at the forefront of a litany of national security crises — ranging from the ongoing effort to provide weapons to Ukraine and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah.

Waltz is an ardent Trump advocate who backed efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its ongoing mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population.

REP. RATCLIFFE FOR CIA

“Congratulations to yet another former colleague in Congressman John Ratcliffe, nominated to return to our intelligence community and lead the Central Intelligence Agency,” said Congresswoman Amata. “He has experience as a former Director of National Intelligence. We know the Pacific region is important to our national intelligence analysis and our national security strategies. Congressman Ratcliffe will work well with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.”

WHAT TO KNOW

Ratcliffe served as director of national intelligence for the final months of Trump’s first term, leading American spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic and as the U.S. government contended with foreign efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.

His past experience in intelligence makes him a more traditional pick for the job, which requires Senate confirmation, than some rumored loyalists pushed by some of Trump’s supporters.

As DNI, Ratcliffe participated in an unusual night-time news conference just weeks before the 2020 presidential election in which he and other officials accused Iran of being responsible for a barrage of emails meant to intimidate voters in the U.S.

He also faced criticism for declassifying Russian intelligence alleging damaging information about Democrats from the 2016 election even while acknowledging that it was unverified. Democrats decried the move as a partisan stunt that politicized intelligence.

ATTORNEY WHITAKER AS NATO AMBASSADOR DESIGNATE

“Former Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker will clearly represent President Trump to our NATO allies, and work well with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and our Defense leadership,” said Congresswoman Amata. “Several of our closest NATO allies have key Pacific roles as well, including France, and the U.K. as part of AUKUS, while strategic interests regarding the CCP are worldwide, with NATO placing a growing emphasis on Pacific engagement.”

WHAT TO KNOW

Whitaker was elevated to acting attorney general in November 2018 — shortly after Republican losses in that year’s midterm elections — when Trump ousted then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump never forgave Sessions for recusing himself during Special Counsel Robert Muller’s investigation into ties between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia.

Whitaker, who was Sessions’ chief of staff, served as acting attorney general for a pivotal three-month stretch as Mueller’s investigation was winding down. He got the role despite Trump telling reporters “I don’t know Matt Whitaker,” just two days after naming him to the post.

A close Trump loyalist, Whitaker had railed against the Mueller investigation prior to becoming attorney general. He faced off during a contentious House hearing with Democrats, who feared that he would take steps to impede the Russia inquiry. Whitaker insisted that he had no plans to do that, but nonetheless was scrutinized by lawmakers over a perceived lack of prior experience to serve as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.

“We’re all trying to figure out: Who are you, where did you come from and how the heck did you become the head of the Department of Justice,” New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, now the top House Democrat, said at one point.

Retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, a former supreme allied commander of NATO, called the job of U.S. NATO ambassador “incredibly important” within the U.S. and NATO security framework, given their standing as the direct representative of U.S. presidents in decision-making among the Western military alliance.

(Sources: Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata’s D.C. staff & AP)