U.S. lawmakers say Trump administration
still lacks clear North Korea plan
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[April 27, 2017]
By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers said
high-profile briefings by the Trump administration on North Korea on
Wednesday failed to provide the firm strategy they had hoped for dealing
with what they described as a major national security threat.
As a standoff escalated over the reclusive Asian nation's development of
nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles, President Donald
Trump welcomed all 100 members of the Senate to a highly unusual meeting
at the White House complex, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson,
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Director of National Intelligence Dan
Coats and Marine General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff.
While administration officials often travel to the Capitol to brief
lawmakers on national security issues, this time the entire Senate
hopped on buses to the White House.
Vice President Mike Pence and the four officials later briefed the House
of Representatives. That classified meeting took place in a secure
auditorium at the Capitol complex.
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The briefings came as Trump tries to put the best face on his first 100
days in office. He has signed executive orders to roll back Democratic
policies but the period has been defined by an absence of any major
legislative achievements.
A few Democrats dismissed the Senate White House "field trip" as little
more than a photo opportunity.
Some Republicans were a little more enthusiastic.
"It was an OK briefing," Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters as he arrived
back at the Senate. "I'm not certain I would have had the briefing
today," he said.
Asked if the administration had a firm strategy, Senator John McCain,
who chairs the Armed Services Committee, said, "They're developing one."
This week, Trump has discussed North Korea with U.N. ambassadors,
increased the U.S. military presence in the region, and leaned on China
to pressure Pyongyang. Tillerson will chair a U.N. Security Council
meeting on Friday to discuss tougher sanctions.
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U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), (2nd R), with others gets into a
Senate caravan from Capitol Hill to attend a North Korea briefing at
the White House, in Washington, U.S., April 26, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri
Gripas
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After their briefing, members of the House expressed confidence in
the administration officials who spoke, but some said they had real
concerns.
Representative Brad Sherman, a senior member of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, said he was not convinced that the administration
would do enough to control Pyongyang.
"I regard that level of resolve as very modest, weak and maybe even
phony. The only way to put enough pressure on North Korea is to get
China to do it," Sherman told reporters.
Mac Thornberry, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said
the administration wants to use "a variety" of tactics to push North
Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions and said he agreed that all
options must be on the table.
"We have to have incredible military presence in the region,
including missile defense, especially for this regime," he said.
(Additional reporting by Amanda Becker, Steve Holland, Phil Stewart,
Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom in Washington and Michelle
Nichols at the United Nations; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Chizu
Nomiyama and Bill Rigby)
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