Press Briefing by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo | Eastern North Carolina Now

    SANDERS: Thanks so much -

    Q One more please, Sarah.

    Q Mr. Secretary, can you explain the President's shift - when he's gone from talking about defining success for this meeting as denuclearization of the Peninsula, to now talking about the need for more meetings? Can you explain what happened there and why this shift? And can you also describe your disagreements over North Korea internally with the national security advisor?

    SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah, with respect to the second one, I've read a little bit about this. And I love good fiction as next as - as much as the next person, but it is without foundation, so much so that - I'll be polite, since I'm a diplomat now. Suffice to say, those articles are unfounded and a complete joke.

    Q Surely, there had to be - must have been some -

    SECRETARY POMPEO: Oh, sure. Ambassador Bolton and I will disagree with great, great consistency over time, I'm confident. Right? We're two individuals. We're each going to present our views. I'm confident that will happen on issues from how long this press conference ought to go - (laughs) - to issues that really matter to the world.

    So it's absolutely the case that Ambassador Bolton and I won't always agree, and I think the President demands that we each give him our own views.

    Q (Inaudible.)

    SECRETARY POMPEO: Yeah. So you had a first - your first question, I'll try to answer. I'll try to answer your first question, too. I don't see the shift as disjunctive as you do. The President has always understood that this was a process. It's been very clear that there would - that it would always take a great deal of work to do this.

    So I think your - you can interpret it how you will, but I think your characterization of that also doesn't reflect the President's understanding. I think his understanding about this process has been pretty consistent since I've been working with him now, almost a year and a half ago.

    SANDERS: Thanks so much, guys.

    END  •  4:05 P.M. EDT


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