Congressman Bill Keating responded today to President Trump’s cancellation of the Korea summit, calling the dissolution of the meeting “serious” and “bad news.”
“This is important because if this diplomacy fails... the military alternatives are unacceptable and dangerous beyond imagination; let me put it that way— things we haven’t seen in modern times,” said Keating during a phone call to Boston Public Radio today.
Trump pulled out of the meeting in the form of a letter addressed to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and referred to North Korea’s disparaging comments about Vice President Mike Pence as the reason behind canceling.
Keating stressed the importance of diplomatic efforts like the summit, saying that conventional missiles would only take four minutes to reach South Korea.
He said Trump’s attempts at diplomacy did not follow normal protocols. Critics have questioned Trump for announcing the meeting before the logistics of the summit were in place.
“When you do things in a backward manner, when you don’t do things the way you’re supposed to do, you really have things blow up on yourself,” said Keating.
He also cautioned some Trump staffers, like John Bolton, against speaking casually about military action against North Korea.
“We shouldn’t be light about these things,” Keating said. “Diplomacy is more than a feel good exercise.”
Congressman Bill Keating is a Democrat representing the 9th district. He serves on the Homeland Security Committee and is a Ranking Member on the Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. To hear his interview in its entirety, click on the audio player above.
