President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly chosen U.S. Representative Michael Waltz, a retired Army National Guard officer and combat veteran, as his national security adviser, according to AP source familiar with the decision who spoke anonymously since the announcement hasn’t yet been made official. The selection has raised some concerns among lawmakers over drawing members from the House, where the balance of seats is still in flux. Adding to this worry is that if Waltz leaves Congress, a new election would be necessary to fill his vacant seat.
If confirmed, Waltz would face a wide range of pressing national security issues, including continued U.S. military aid to Ukraine, growing tensions as Russia strengthens ties with North Korea, intensified attacks in the Middle East by Iranian-aligned groups, and the ongoing efforts to establish a ceasefire between Israel and adversarial forces like Hamas and Hezbollah.
Waltz, a three-term Republican congressman from Florida’s east-central region, made history as the first Green Beret elected to the U.S. House and recently secured a comfortable reelection. He has served as chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as well as the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
A strong supporter of Trump, Waltz endorsed efforts to challenge the 2020 election results. Known for his hardline stance on China, he advocated for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, citing China’s alleged role in the COVID-19 outbreak and its ongoing persecution of the Uyghur Muslim minority.
The Republican was first elected to Congress in 2018 and succeeded Ron DeSantis, who went on to be elected the governor of Florida.
Waltz previously served at the Pentagon, as a defense policy director for Secretaries of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates in the George W. Bush administration.
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