Washington (April 18, 2018) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after the White House announced that Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo met with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un over Easter. Mr. Pompeo has been nominated to be Secretary of State and a vote for his nomination in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is imminent. Senator Markey will vote against Director Pompeo’s nomination.

“I have long called for direct negotiations with North Korea, conducted by experienced diplomats.” said Senator Markey. “But President Trump has been treating his rapidly approaching summit as reality TV featuring only him and his favorite contestants. Diplomacy is a team sport, bigger than any individual, and President Trump would be wise to accept that we need career diplomats. Successful negotiations with North Korea require a well-staffed State Department backed by the full resources of the U.S. government conducting sustained negotiations in careful conjunction with our allies in South Korea and Japan. As we approach one of the most important diplomatic negotiations in recent history, we must do more to ensure we succeed, and that a failed summit does not become a stepping stone to war.”

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