State Department officials were caught “completely off guard” by President Trump’s abrupt cancellation Friday of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s planned trip to North Korea…
State Department officials were caught “completely off guard” by President Trump’s abrupt cancellation Friday of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s planned trip to North Korea next week, CNN reported.
They had been “briefing allies’ embassies about their objectives for the trip like 10 minutes before!” a department source told the network’s Michelle Kosinski, who tweeted the remarks .
Trump scrapped the trip — admitting his administration had made little progress trying to persuade the regime to give up its nukes.
“I have asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo not to go to North Korea, at this time, because I feel we are not making sufficient progress with respect to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” he tweeted .
Trump blamed China for the lack of progress, arguing its leaders had stopped helping the negotiations because of his escalating trade war with the world’s second largest economy.
“Additionally, because of our much tougher Trading stance with China, I do not believe they are helping with the process of denuclearization as they once were (despite the UN Sanctions which are in place),” the commander-in-chief wrote.
Pompeo will return to the North in the near future, he added, before dashing off a friendly greeting to murderous dictator Kim Jong-un.
“Secretary Pompeo looks forward to going to North Korea in the near future, most likely after our Trading relationship with China is resolved. In the meantime I would like to send my warmest regards and respect to Chairman Kim. I look forward to seeing him soon!
Pompeo on Thursday named Ford Motor Co. exec Stephen Biegun as the “special representative” to North Korea, and said they’d travel to the rogue nation next week to try to persuade dictator Kim to give up his nukes.
