Trump showed no regard for the safety of journalists by canceling the summit, while they are still in N. Korea to “witness” the “destruction” of a nuclear test site.
Peter Alexander of NBC News tweeted:
Worth noting: White House announced cancellation of Kim Jung-un summit while group of foreign reporters — there to “witness†the "dismantlement" of nuclear test site — were still in North Korea.
They are still there now.
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— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) May 24, 2018
The White House could have waited to release the letter until after the journalists had safely gotten out of North Korea.
In 2016, a BBC crew was detained and expelled from North Korea. In 2017, the regime sentenced South Korean journalists and their publishers to death in absentia because they wrote a book about North Korea.
North Korea is not a safe country for journalists. Trump risked the safety of journalists because he had to throw a tantrum because Kim Jong-un insulted Mike Pence. This is not how foreign relations should ever be conducted, but as usual, Trump shows a total disregard for anyone’s life but his own.
Trump isn’t just failing. His failures are jeopardizing innocent lives.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association