National Security

Bolton has not yet called a top-level meeting on Trump-North Korea summit: report

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National security adviser John Bolton has not yet called a Cabinet-level meeting to discuss the upcoming summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Politico reported Thursday. 

Sources told the news outlet that Trump’s preparation ahead of the summit with Kim has been “unstructured.” The president has reportedly not consulted heavily with his national security team, instead relying largely on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Trump has also not yet led a meeting focused on the North Korea summit with officials from his national security council, Politico reported.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that Trump “has been receiving daily briefings on North Korea from his national security team.”

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Bolton, who joined the Trump administration in April, will travel with Trump to Singapore next week for the summit, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said.

Trump and Kim are scheduled to meet June 12 at a luxury resort. 

Trump publicly disagreed with Bolton’s comments on North Korea last month after the national security adviser said the “Libya model” could serve as a blueprint for getting Kim to get rid of his nuclear weapons.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi was ousted from power and killed eight years after surrendering his nuclear weapons in a deal with the George W. Bush administration. 

After Bolton’s initial comments, North Korea issued a statement blasting Bolton and blaming him for endangering the summit.

Bolton did not attend an Oval Office meeting last week when a top North Korean official, Kim Yong Chol, visited the White House and hand-delivered a letter from Kim to the president.

Tags Donald Trump Kellyanne Conway Mike Pompeo National Security Council U.S.-North Korea summit

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