Defense Secretary James Mattis said Tuesday that the U. S. “is probing for opportunities to talk with” North Korea but insisted there are no actual talks.
Defense Secretary James Mattis was pressed Tuesday to explain President Donald Trump’s recent spate of tweets that appeared to reject a diplomatic solution on North Korea.
It followed the Defense secretary’s opening remarks to a Senate panel that the Pentagon “supports fully” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s ongoing “efforts to find a diplomatic solution [to the North Korean threat] but remains focused on defense of the United States and our allies.”
Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Mattis’ comments about the DOD supporting diplomatic efforts toward Pyongyang “does not seem to be translated to the president.” Reed said Trump “has in several tweets suggested that Secretary Tillerson’s opening of [diplomatic] channels and preparing to discuss issues, directly and indirectly, is essentially a waste of time.”
Reed asked Mattis, “How do you respond to those types of [tweets]. On one hand, you strongly support him (Tillerson), and on the other hand… the president is telling him to knock it off.”
Mattis responded that the president’s guidance to both him and Tillerson “has been very clearly that we would pursue the diplomatic effort,” which the retired Marine Corps four-star general said includes various initiatives with China along with economic sanctions aimed at the rogue regime in Pyongyang
Mattis termed the current approach to nuclear-armed North Korea “a dynamic balance as we try to go forward with a solution.” Yet he also said the U. S. needs to “ensure we have military options.”
The Defense secretary said he believes Tillerson accurately stated that the U. S. “is probing for opportunities to talk with the North. All we’re doing is probing; we’re not talking with them.
