Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said incoming national security adviser John Bolton was approaching potential talks between President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un with a “very healthy” dose of “skepticism.”
“I would be very cautious about the terms and conditions of this meeting, and this is why I like John Bolton as national security adviser. He has a very healthy skepticism of North Korea,” Graham told “Fox News Sunday.”
Graham praised the Trump administration’s campaign of “maximum pressure,” crediting it with bringing Kim to the negotiating table in a “historic” opportunity for renewed diplomacy in the region.
Graham added that the two goals of the summit, slated for May, should be the denuclearization of the Korean peninsular and a peace treaty between the U.S., South Korea, China, and the hermit kingdom.
While imploring Trump to proceed with the discussions, Graham said Bolton was right to exercise caution in case the North Koreans were using them as a strategy to buy time to further their nuclear weapons program.
“We don’t want to give him nine months or a year to talk and build a missile at the same time. I had dinner with Bolton a couple of nights ago. His biggest fear is that they are just buying time,” Graham said of the former President George W. Bush U.N. ambassador’s concerns.
“That’s what they’ve done in the past,” Graham continued. “I would make sure the negotiations were very focused and get quick action.”
