Warner Blasts Trump NATO Threat

WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement:

"For more than seventy years, NATO has been the cornerstone of American national security - deterring war in Europe, projecting strength around the world, and ensuring that the United States never stands alone in moments of crisis. It is not a 'paper tiger' - it is the most successful military alliance in modern history, and Donald Trump's threat to pull the United States out of NATO is reckless, dangerous, and plays directly into the hands of our adversaries.

"Alliances are not transactional. They are built on trust, shared values, and a recognition that we are stronger together than we are alone. Let's remember that NATO was invoked for the first and only time after the attacks of September 11^th, when our allies came to our defense. Thousands of allied troops served alongside American forces in Afghanistan, and many paid the ultimate price. To now suggest that this alliance is a one-way street is not only wrong - it's an insult to those sacrifices. What the president is proposing would shatter decades of bipartisan American leadership, undermine our credibility with allies, and embolden adversaries like Russia and China who would welcome nothing more than a fractured transatlantic alliance.

"Congress will not sit by while this president tries to unravel an alliance that has kept Americans safe for decades. Our commitment to NATO is ironclad, and we will use every tool available to defend it."