Thornberry supports postponing joint military exercises with South Korea

By Tony Bertuca / June 13, 2018 at 4:09 PM

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-TX) said today he supports President Trump’s decision to suspend joint military exercises with South Korea as long as negotiations with North Korea continue to move in a positive direction.

"You've got to give these negotiations every opportunity to succeed," Thornberry told reporters.

The chairman said he was in favor of postponing upcoming joint exercises scheduled for August "as long as the negotiations are being productive."

Thornberry said it would be relatively simple for the Pentagon to hold the exercises later this year if negotiations with North Korea are not progressing.

"This is an opportunity to hold their feet to the fire and see if they -- North Korea -- are serious about this," he said.

Thornberry, however, disagreed with Trump's characterization of the exercises as "provocative."

"Provocation is in the eye of the beholder," he said. "Obviously, it is something North Korea has complained about for a long time."

Meanwhile, Thornberry praised Trump's "unconventional rhetoric," though some critics have renounced the president's comments portraying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "strong" leader who "loves his people."

"I'm not as concerned about what is said as what is done," Thornberry said. "I think the president's unconventional rhetoric has been very helpful in getting us to this place. If complimenting [Kim] can lead him to give up his nuclear weapons, I think most of us would think the world would be better off."

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