Corker neutral for now on Trump, Kim agreement
WASHINGTON – Sen. Bob Corker is withholding judgment for now on the agreement signed Tuesday by President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“While I am glad the president and Kim Jong Un were able to meet, it is difficult to determine what of concrete nature has occurred,” Corker, a Tennessee Republican and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement.
“I look forward to having Secretary (of State Mike) Pompeo before our committee soon to share his insights and look forward to carrying out our oversight responsibilities,” Corker said.
After more than a half-century of hostility between their two countries, Trump and Kim signed a document Tuesday pledging “to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” but provided few details of how that might work.
“We’re starting that process very quickly,” Trump said during a brief signing ceremony, providing few specifics.
The statement of renewed U.S.North Korean cooperation capped a four-hour-plus summit in which Trump and Kim met privately. The summit comes less than a year after the pair threatened each other with nuclear annihilation.
Other Tennessee Republicans in Congress applauded Trump for meeting with Kim.
“President Trump exemplified what it means to be a leader, becoming the first sitting president of the United States to meet with a North Korean head of state,” said Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Ooltewah. “I applaud the president for taking this courageous step, and I am hopeful that despite North Korea’s history of deception, this summit marks the beginning of a new era of relations between North Korea and the United States.”
“While there is still a great amount of work that lies ahead, this summit was a tremendous first step and marked yet another milestone for the Trump administration,” Fleischmann said.
Rep. Phil Roe, R-Johnson City, who was stationed in Korea as a member of the Army Medical Corps, said Trump “made strides towards peace with North Korea” by meeting with Trump.;
“I am cautiously optimistic that this conversation will lead to establishing long-term stability, but we must remain vigilant as we continue this process,” Roe said. “We also cannot forget the atrocities being committed now (by Kim), and those committed by Kim’s father and grandfather. I believe all sanctions should remain in place until we can be certain North Korea intends to follow through on any agreement made with President Trump.”