Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said she is pleased the Trump administration is pursuing “diplomacy” with North Korea, but she is “concerned” President Trump will be exploited in discussions with North Korean leaders, in part due to vacancies at the State Department.
The comments come after it was revealed Thursday Trump would accept a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“I am very glad to see the Trump administration turn in the direction of diplomacy and the principal reason for that is because there is no military-only solution to North Korea,” Warren said on “Fox News Sunday,” noting that military generals have also reached this conclusion.
“But these are very complex negotiations, so I’m very concerned about the fact that the State Department has so many vacancies that much of the staff at the State Department has been decimated,” she added.
She pointed out several vacancies and also noted there is currently not an ambassador to South Korea.
“This is important, because these are the people who know the economy, who know the language, who know the history, who know our military needs,” she said. “I am very concerned that the president may be taken advantage of here. I want to see the president succeed.”
“It is important for the defense of the United States,” she added. “It is important for the security of the entire world, but I’m worried about going into these negotiations without a strategy and without a strong, full State Department to back them up.”
A South Korean official announced Thursday evening that Pyongyang extended an invitation to Trump to meet with Kim.
“President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong Un by May to achieve permanent denuclearization,” South Korean national security adviser Chung Eui-Yong told reporters.
Trump reacted to the announcement on Twitter Thursday, touting “great progress.” He said North Korea will not be conducting missile tests in the meantime, but sanctions will be remain in place “until an agreement is reached.”
He echoed similar sentiments at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
“I think North Korea is going to go very well,” he said. “I think we will have tremendous success … they promised they wouldn’t be shooting off missiles in the meantime, and they’re looking to de-nuke. They’re gonna be great.”
