President Trump is living up to his “Art of the Deal” image in making the bold decision to accept North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un’s invitation to meet.
And U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, who has been leading the charge in Washington to force the brutal communist to dismantle its ballistic missile program, quickly chimed in with further instructions for Trump — use maximum pressure to denuclearize.
Gardner and other Senate leaders told Trump in a letter that if that meeting happens, sanctions must be enforced.
The regime must also adhere to all of its previous commitments that it has repeatedly violated, including those dangerous and obnoxious missile testing.
Every avenue of commercial activity with the regime must be closed and every business must understand that the cost of doing business with North Korea is global isolation.
And most importantly of all, the U.S. must verify before trusting any pledge from Kim Jung Un.
(North Korea) must also know that while the United States and its partners are seeking to solve this crisis peacefully, we will not hesitate to defend the U.S. homeland, our troops in the region, and our treaty allies, with overwhelming military force. The military option must remain on the table, it must be robust, and (North Korea) must be made fully aware of the consequences of their actions.
Not a lot of wiggle room there.
Gardner also asked Trump to raise the issue of human rights, citing the country’s despicable record in holding hundreds of thousands of its own citizens in labor camps that are akin to the Soviet GULAG system.
Never forget, Gardner said, that North Korea represents a grave threat to the U.S., global peace and stability.