Marco Rubio charged Thursday that a U.S. diplomat undermined President Trump’s effort to negotiate with North Korea by suggesting that the U.S. might accept a “partial” surrender of its nuclear weapons at the start of the talks.
“She is in Tokyo undermining [Trump] by advocating for partial surrender of nukes by [North Korea] as acceptable,” Rubio argued.
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Rubio was responding to a comment from Susan Thornton, acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, whose nomination for a permanent post is still pending. Thornton was quoted as suggesting a give-and-take between North Korea and the U.S. at the outset of the negotiating process.
“The question is what could be front-loaded in a process that’s inevitably going to go on for some time, and then what would be acceptable to the North Korean side in return for that front-loading,” Thornton said at a conference in Tokyo.
That exchange could entail “a partial surrender of nuclear arms and missiles,” in the words of the Wall Street Journal, which hosted the event and reported that a South Korean presidential advisor had suggested such a move. The language triggered Rubio’s rebuke, but Thornton was less specific.
“Of course we’re going to be putting a lot on the table,” she said. “There’s an expectation as he’s already committed to complete denuclearization. And in his conversations with the South Koreans that there will be a big down payment, a big upfront demonstration of his intention, to do that. Not just words and statements but also actions. But I think there is a feeling that he does realize what that entails and that he is willing to at least entertain serious conversation and possible actions toward that end.”
Rubio took her remarks to be at odds with past comments from the State Department, which has spent much of the past year insisting that the U.S. would not ease the “maximum pressure” campaign in exchange for the right to negotiate with North Korea. The second-term senator, who is part of the committee that gives preliminary approval to presidential appointees to the State Department, plans to vote against her.
“I will do all I can to prevent [her] from ever being confirmed,” he tweeted Thursday.
This is why I will do all I can to prevent Susan Thornton from ever being confirmed as Asst Secretary of State for E. Asian & Pacific Affairs. She is in Tokyo undermining @POTUS by advocating for partial surrender of nukes by #NorthKorea as acceptable https://t.co/42uyhx5tVx
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) May 17, 2018
White House national security advisor John Bolton’s told ABC that North Korea’s nuclear program must be “irreversibly” dismantled before “the benefits start to flow” from the U.S. side.
“We want to see the denuclearization process so completely [underway] that it’s irreversible,” Bolton added when pressed about what would qualify North Korea for sanctions relief.
The North Korean side responded angrily, threatening to cancel a much-anticipated summit between President Trump and dictator Kim Jong Un.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to clarify that the phrase “partial surrender” was not used by Acting Assistant Secretary Thornton.
