John Bolton slams New York Times story on North Korea compromise

(July 2)Yesterday John Bolton tweeted angrily condemning a New York Times report that claimed that the Trump administration might seek a compromise with North Korea that would involve a freeze on the countries nuclear arsenal instead of complete denuclearization.

The New York Times report

The Times article said that the plan was brewing weeks before Trump's recent meeting with Kim Jong Un: " But for weeks before the meeting, which started as a Twitter offer by the president for Mr. Kim to drop by at the Demilitarized Zone and “say hello,” a real idea has been taking shape inside the Trump administration that officials hope might create a foundation for a new round of negotiations.The concept would amount to a nuclear freeze, one that essentially enshrines the status quo, and tacitly accepts the North as a nuclear power, something administration officials have often said they would never stand for."

Bolton's response

Bolton claimed that neither he nor anyone else in the Trump administration had ever discussed such an idea. He said he had never even heard of such a deal being under consideration. He said that there should be consequences for the Times publishing such an article. Bolton said that the article represented a reprehensible attempt to box in the president. The Times responded on Twitter that they stood by the accuracy of their reporting.

Bolton's tweet read: “I read this NYT story with curiosity. Neither the NSC staff nor I have discussed or heard of any desire to ‘settle for a nuclear freeze by NK,’” Bolton tweeted, describing the report as "a reprehensible attempt by someone to box in the President.”

Perhaps there are discussions within the Trump administration behind Bolton's back. If Bolton knew about them he would be acting immediately to try and squelch them. Bolton also would like to box in the president so that only his own hard line views are presented to Kim Jong Un. This would include complete denuclearization of North Korea before discussing removal of sanctions.

Bolton wants to retain hard line approach in negotiations

Bolton would be adamantly opposed to any move to make lesser demands on North Korea to encourage negotiations to go forward even though Bolton's hard line approach led to breakdown of talks in Hanoi with no agreement. There is every reason to believe this will happen again. Perhaps this is the result Bolton desires.

The Times article may represent a trial balloon launched by some in the administration to gauge reactions to such a new plan. Bolton's response is predictable.

Previously published in the Digital Journal