WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has requested U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, a retired Military Nationwide Guard officer and battle veteran, to be his nationwide safety adviser, an individual accustomed to the matter mentioned Monday.
The nod got here regardless of simmering issues on Capitol Hill about Trump tapping members of the Home, the place the ultimate tally continues to be unsure and there are worries about pulling any GOP members from the chamber as a result of that will drive a brand new election to fill the empty seat. The particular person spoke on the situation of anonymity to debate the matter earlier than Trump made a proper announcement.
The transfer would put Waltz on the forefront of a litany of nationwide safety crises — starting from the continued effort to supply weapons to Ukraine and escalating worries concerning the rising alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent assaults within the Center East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah.
Waltz, a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida, was the primary Inexperienced Beret elected to the U.S. Home, and simply received reelection final week. He has been chairman of the Home Armed Providers subcommittee on readiness and a member of the Home Overseas Affairs Committee and the Everlasting Choose Committee on Intelligence.
Waltz is an ardent Trump advocate who backed efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He’s thought-about hawkish on China, and referred to as for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as a consequence of its involvement within the origin of COVID-19 and its ongoing mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur inhabitants.
He has been a pointy critic of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and has referred to as on the U.S. to carry accountable those that bear duty for the deaths of the 13 U.S. service members at Abbey Gate and for “thousands of Americans and allies behind enemy lines.”
He has additionally repeated Trump’s frequent complaints a few so-called “woke” navy that the previous president has derided as smooth and too targeted on variety and fairness packages.
In a press release final yr, Waltz mentioned that as head of the readiness subcommittee: “I am ready to get to work to better equip our military and turn our focus away from woke priorities and back to winning wars. Our national security depends on it.”
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A graduate of Virginia Navy Institute, Waltz was a Inexperienced Beret. He served within the active-duty Military for 4 years earlier than transferring to the Florida Guard. Whereas within the Guard he did a number of fight excursions in Afghanistan, the Center East and Africa and was awarded 4 Bronze Stars, together with two with valor.
He additionally labored within the Pentagon as a coverage adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates have been protection chiefs.
