WASHINGTON — President Trump said his CIA chief “got along really well” with Kim Jong Un during a secret meeting in North Korea, holding up the highly unusual talks as a reason to confirm Mike Pompeo as secretary of state.
Republican lawmakers also supported the visit, as the U.S. administration prepared for a historic summit aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, and pushed for Pompeo’s rapid confirmation as top diplomat. But that prospect hung in the balance as Democrats lined up against him and questioned why they weren’t briefed on the meeting.
Pompeo’s trip took place over Easter weekend, just over two weeks ago, according to White House officials. He is the most senior U.S. official to meet with a North Korean leader since Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met with Kim’s father in Pyongyang in 2000.
“It’s indicative of the seriousness with which the Trump administration is taking this, that they really think they can cut a deal,” despite many remaining hurdles, said Abraham Denmark, a former senior defense official for East Asia. He added that it reflected the president’s high confidence in Pompeo, but lack of confidence in the State Department he’s been picked to lead.
Pompeo’s promotion to his new post is not assured.
As Republicans including Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, rallied around Pompeo’s nomination, Democrats on the panel came out in opposition.
The committee is expected to vote on the nomination next week. Pompeo, whose hawkish foreign policy views and comments about minorities have raised Democratic hackles, would replace Rex Tillerson who was pushed out by Trump last month.
As for opposition by Democrats, Republican Cory Gardner, who chairs an Asia subcommittee, said in an interview that they “want to play partisan politics.”
