CIA director says Trump aims to ‘solve a problem’ with North Korea

WASHINGTON—Administration officials expressed confidence Sunday that President Donald Trump would not be taken advantage of by North Korea’s Kim Jong Un before and during any direct talks, but critics suggested that the president’s impulsiveness and inexperience could spell disaster if a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders proceeds as planned.

Trump would be the first sitting U.S. president to meet with a North Korean leader if he follows through on the decision Thursday to accept Kim’s invitation. The two leaders had exchanged a series of threats and insults in recent months over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo said on “Fox News Sunday” that Trump “isn’t doing this for theater.”

“He’s going to solve a problem,” Pompeo said. He also insisted that Kim be prepared to talk about “complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization” if the meeting is to be held.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also sought to deflect any suggestion that Trump would soften the U.S. stance toward North Korea before the talks.

“We’re not removing the maxi-

mum-pressure campaign,” Mnuchin said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “The sanctions are staying on” and the United States would proceed with military exercises in the region as scheduled, he said.

Trump, Mnuchin said, simply planned to “sit down and see if he can cut a deal.”

Trump, in a speech Saturday night in Pennsylvania, indicated he saw few pitfalls even if the talks fail.

“I think we will have tremendous success,” he said, describing prospective denuclearization as “the greatest deal for the world.” But he also raised the possibility that he may “leave fast” if conditions are not ripe.

“Who knows what’s going to happen?” Trump said.

White House spokesman Raj Shah, appearing on ABC’s “This Week,” reiterated Washington’s expectation that North Korea would not engage in nuclear or missile testing in advance of any talks.

So far, North Korean officials have not verified any of the details about their offer to meet or any conditions. All messages have been relayed through South Korea.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., cited the complexity of any talks, which she said were worrying against a backdrop of Trump’s failure to heed the advice of experts on the region.

“What I’m concerned about in these negotiations is we have a State Department that’s just been decimated,” Warren said on NBC. “And that really matters, because it means you don’t have the people who understand the economics, who speak the language, who know the history.”

Warren, who has frequently sparred with Trump, said she wanted to see the president succeed, “because if he succeeds, America succeeds.” But she said she feared that North Korean leaders would “take advantage” of him.

Concern also came from the Republican ranks. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said the North should have to do more to merit a meeting.

“I’d like to see come concrete steps—more than just a cessation of testing,” he said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”