Krishnamoorthi Warns Trump NATO Withdrawal Threat Would Be Illegal and Endanger U.S. Security

WASHINGTON - Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi today sent a letter to President Donald Trump following the President's White House meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, expressing deep concern over Trump's recent statements threatening to withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and warning that any unilateral withdrawal would be both illegal under current law and dangerous to American national security.

In the letter, Krishnamoorthi underscores that Congress has already enacted binding statutory language prohibiting any president from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO without the consent of two-thirds of the Senate or an act of Congress.

"Any unilateral U.S. exit from NATO would be both strategically reckless and blatantly illegal under current law. Moreover, your rhetoric on this issue risks strengthening our adversaries at the expense of our own security."

The letter further warns that even rhetoric questioning America's commitment to the alliance risks undermining NATO's deterrent power at a moment of heightened global instability.

"Abandoning NATO would undermine U.S. credibility with allies and partners worldwide, embolden adversaries such as Russia and China, weaken collective deterrence at a time of heightened global instability, and erode decades of bipartisan American leadership in building a stable international order."

Krishnamoorthi also stresses that Congress acted on a bipartisan basis to ensure that dismantling one of the most consequential alliances in American history cannot be done by executive action alone.

"Congress has acted to ensure that dismantling one of the most consequential alliances in American history cannot be done by executive action alone, and doing so would be flagrantly illegal."

The Congressman concludes the letter by urging the President to reverse course and reaffirm America's commitment to the alliances that have preserved peace and security for generations.

The letter is available here.