Scott mostly mum on N. Korea pact
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott has repeatedly blasted President Barack Obama’s move to thaw relations with Cuba, criticizing him for not securing moves toward democracy, the lack of punishment for human rights abuses and the continuing persecution of political prisoners by the Castro regime.
Scott has written op-eds and posted numerous times on Twitter about the faults of the Cuba deal, but has scarcely mentioned North Korea as President Donald Trump moved to meet with its dictator, Kim Jong Un, this year.
The two leaders signed a joint declaration in Singapore on Monday that calls on North Korea to move toward denuclearization, but there was no specific timeline or requirement for Kim to do so.
According to the Washington Post, Trump agreed to suspend military exercises with South Korea and said that Kim agreed to return the remains of U.S. service members killed in the Korean War and to shutter a missile testing site.
“I am hopeful the unprecedented meeting of the US and North Korea will finally lead to North Korea abandoning nuclear weapons and honoring the human rights of their people,” Scott posted on Twitter on Tuesday.
The post belies the fact that the joint declaration does not mention human rights and that the Trump administration said it would not raise that issue during the summit.
It makes sense for Scott, in the middle of a competitive campaign for U.S. Senate, to focus on the travails of Cuba and Venezuela — two nations with large diasporas in Florida — and not as much on North Korea.
When Scott has mentioned North Korea in the past, it’s been in the context of criticizing the Cuba deal. In an op-ed published last year, Scott urged the Trump administration to “take a stand against Cuba and Venezuela.” He said the “Obama-Castro deal failed to prioritize America’s interests” and specifically criticized the deal for failing to punish Cuba for supplying arms to North Korea.
“(The deal) purposely did not contemplate the certified claims of American citizens whose properties were stolen by Castro’s regime; it allowed Cuba’s trafficking of 240 tons of missile technology and other heavy weaponry with North Korea, and those responsible for it, to get away without consequence,” he wrote.
“I am encouraging President Trump to take a stand against these brutal dictatorships,” Scott continued. “President Trump and his Administration have the opportunity to set a new course. One that recognizes that the Cuban and Venezuelan people deserve to be free, and prioritizes human rights, democracy, security and the rule of law.”
Yet in the agreement struck between Trump and Kim, there was no mention of human rights or moves toward democracy, either.
Kim has ordered the killings of family members and kept tight grips on power since succeeding his father, Kim Jong Il as North Korea’s leader in 2011. Opposition to the regime is not tolerated and there are no free elections.