The Incoming Trump Administration Wants To Get Rid Of The No. 2 Official At NATO

NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. NATO

Washington Post: Trump team working to remove top NATO official

The incoming Trump administration is looking to get rid of the No. 2 official at NATO, an American nominated by President Obama whom most Republicans don’t trust. But NATO’s Brussels leadership may not play along, setting up an early confrontation with President Trump.

Two Trump transition sources told me that a representative of the transition team met late last month with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels and delivered a private but deliberate message: The incoming administration would like Stoltenberg to replace Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller. Gottemoeller, who was nominated for the post by Obama this past March, started her job in Brussels only in October and has a multi-year contract. She works for NATO, not the U.S. government.

If NATO leadership agreed to remove Gottemoeller, it would set a new precedent for U.S. government control over American officials in top NATO positions. If the NATO leadership doesn’t agree, the incoming Trump administration could work to marginalize Gottemoeller and render her ineffective. Either way, her role is set to change when the new U.S. president comes into office.

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WNU Editor: Republicans have had issues with her for a long time .... and it is clear that she has lost the confidence of many in Washington. I will also not be surprised if other officials appointed to international bodies by President Obama that have lost the trust of the incoming Trump administration will be asked to step aside.