Mr. Trump has entrusted Mr. Pompeo with laying the groundwork for a successful summit. North Korea presents a vexing problem that is, in part, the doing of Mr. Pompeo’s boss. Mr. Pompeo directly contradicted the president’s earlier statement when he told Jake Tapper of CNN on Sunday that North Korea was still a nuclear threat. Ever the loyal cabinet member — some would say mouthpiece — he tried to pretend Mr. Trump never mentioned the lack of nuclear threat, but Mr. Tapper presented him with the exact words from Mr. Trump. official on North Korea, recalled remarkable words he and Mr. Pompeo heard from the young leader during a visit to Pyongyang last April.

Source: New York Times February 25, 2019 23:43 UTC