FOREIGN POLICY/MIKE POMPEO/NORTH KOREA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The White House has created a working group to prepare for the landmark meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea. But Mr. Trump’s sudden ousting on Tuesday [3-13-18] of Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson could delay critical elements of the planning until the Senate confirms his successor, Mike Pompeo.
Few officials expect Mr. Pompeo’s arrival at the State Department to derail the meeting itself, as long as the president and Mr. Kim remain committed to it. But Mr. Tillerson’s departure deprives the White House of the person most experienced in efforts to reach out to North Korea. As the C.I.A. director, Mr. Pompeo has focused more on the threats posed by Pyongyang.
Mr. Pompeo will not be able to establish contact with the South Korean foreign minister, let alone his North Korean counterpart, until the Senate approves his nomination — a process that officials on Capitol Hill said could take several weeks. The White House has not yet even completed the paperwork to begin that process, the officials said.”
-Mark Landler, “Cabinet Changes Could Delay Planning for Meeting with Kim Jong-un,” The New York Times online, Mar. 14, 2018