Donald Trump picks Afghanistan vet Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor

By Tony Capaccio 

 

President-elect Donald Trump selected Florida congressman Mike Waltz, a 50-year-old ex-Army Green Beret who served multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, as his national security advisor, according to a person familiar with the decision.

 

As national security advisor, Waltz will hold a critical position of power coordinating foreign policy within the West Wing and briefing the president on developments across the globe. On Capitol Hill, Waltz distinguished himself among Republicans with aggressive questioning of Biden administration witnesses over the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.

 

The person familiar requested anonymity to discuss the selection. Waltz’s congressional office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

The Wall Street Journal first reported the move on Monday.

 

Waltz represents the second current House member — alongside Elise Stefanik, who Trump will nominate as US ambassador to the United Nations — selected by the president-elect so far for his new administration, threatening to cut into what will likely be a slim GOP majority in the lower chamber. Trump also selected former congressman Lee Zeldin as his Environmental Protection Agency administrator, part of a push of loyalists named in the transition’s early days.

 

The job could be a perilous one for Waltz. Trump had four national security advisors in his first term, including Michael Flynn, who was fired after less than a month on the job.

 

Waltz’s military career is unique in that he deployed to Afghanistan on several combat tours as a Reservist Army Special Forces soldier even as he was an Afghanistan policy adviser at the Pentagon under then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Waltz was award four Bronze Stars for his actions. 

 

He’s also been a notable cheerleader of both Trump and billionaire Elon Musk, who donated millions to aid the president-elect’s campaign and has emerged as an influential adviser during the transition process.

 

In a recently published book, Waltz credited Musk by saying that few entrepreneurs “have had the extraordinary record of endeavor and achievement of Elon Musk.”

 

Waltz was elected in 2018 to represent Florida’s 6th Congressional District, which includes Daytona Beach. 

 

Separate from military service, Waltz led a small company called Metis Solutions — a defense and intelligence consulting firm.

 

Waltz, who served as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee readiness panel, in hearings has repeatedly pummeled the Biden administration for its highly criticized Afghanistan withdrawal, and hit witnesses on a variety of topics ranging from the teaching of “Critical Race Theory” at military institutions to an overpriced bag of metal bushings for the Air Force.

 

Waltz has also criticised what he’s said was the Biden administration’s “focus on climate change as a national security priority.”