Free Republic

President Moon Jae-in’s government is seeking ways to circumvent international sanctions against North Korea to reopen an inter-Korean industrial park. The Kaesong industrial complex north of the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas was shut down in February 2016 after Pyongyang conducted its fourth nuclear test. The ensuing moves by Seoul officials suggest the Moon administration is seeking to resume the inter-Korean projects, particularly the joint industrial park, as a catalyst for the North’s denuclearization rather than a step to be taken after a significant progress is made. But it would prove practically impossible to bypass sanctions imposed by a...

BREAKING NEWS: Nancy Pelosi says Trump is accused by his own State Department of putting lives of members of Congress and U.S. TROOPS at risk by revealing her plans to lead delegation to Afghanistan when he canceled military jet President Trump cancelled Nancy Pelosi's government-funded trip abroad She asked him Wednesday to postpone his Jan. 29 State of the Union Cited security concerns amid the partial government shutdown White House official said it had nothing to do with her demand that he give his address in the Oval Office or after the shutdown ends Trump informed Pelosi via a letter...

MANAMA/Bahrain—The Trump administration, via Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, is beginning to build a coalition of Arab allies that will help the United States expel "every last Iranian boot" from Syria and ensure the Islamic Republic's march across the Middle East is stopped in its tracks, according to U.S. officials.Pompeo arrived in Bahrain early Friday to hold the first of a series of meetings with Arab leaders in key gulf nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman. During this leg of Pompeo's weeklong trek across the region, the secretary of state will continue his behind-the-scenes...

Early in his presidency, Barack Obama gave a speech in Cairo that he referred to as "A New Beginning." In that speech in June, 2009, Obama identified the United States as one of the causes of turmoil and violence in the Middle East. He never said the words, "I'm sorry," but his tone was apologetic as he viciously criticized the Israeli "occupation and the US invasion of Iraq. Yesterday, almost 10 years later, American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave the speech that Obama should have given. It was unabashedly pro-American and identified America as a force for good in...

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that the United States would suspend its obligations under a decades-old nuclear arms pact in 60 days if Russia does not come back into full compliance with the treaty. Pompeo made the announcement following meetings with NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium, describing Russia’s violations of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty as part of a broader pattern of “lawlessness” by Moscow on the global stage. President Trump signaled earlier this fall that he planned to unilaterally withdraw the United States from the INF Treaty, citing Russian violations of the agreement. U.S. officials...

Russia, through its 2014 invasion of Ukraine and its attempted annexation of Crimea, sought to undermine a bedrock international principle shared by democratic states: that no country can change the borders of another by force. The states of the world, including Russia, agreed to this principle in the United Nations Charter, pledging to refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. This fundamental principle — which was reaffirmed in the Helsinki Final Act — constitutes one of the foundations upon which our shared security and safety rests. As we did...

Now we know why Denmark cut itself off from Germany and Sweden and launched a massive security operation in September. It wasn’t against an ISIS-style terror attack, but against an Iranian plot to murder Ahwaz activists. The plot caused Copenhagen to close its bridges. Now the full story can be told and it may rock Europe and EU relations with Iran. Denmark’s ambassador is on the way home from Tehran. Iran’s pro-government Fars News is complaining about a bias against Iran, denying Iran had anything to do with the plot. Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen described the suspected plot as “totally unacceptable” Here...

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday discussed ways he plans to work with Brazilian president-elect Jair Bolsonaro, the controversial right-wing populist who won around 55 percent of the vote after a volatile and divisive presidential campaign. Pompeo in a phone call congratulated Bolsonaro on the win and discussed collaboration on issues including Venezuela, transnational crime and economic ties between "the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere," State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement. ADVERTISEMENT The call comes days after a group of House Democrats penned a letter to Pompeo asking him to condemn Bolsonaro, who was...

Kim Jong-un has said he expects “great progress would surely be made” on issues between North Korea and the US after secretary of state Mike Pompeo visited Pyonyang for “productive and wonderful talks”. Kim “explained in detail the proposals for solving the denuclearization issue”, according to paraphrased remarks reported by the official Korean Central News Agency, but neither side has revealed those plans. Kim also said he was confident relations between the two countries would “continue to develop favorably in the future” and expected a second summit with Donald Trump to be held “sooner or later”. The two countries will...

FULL TITLE: Pompeo has 'very successful morning' with Kim Jong Un, as talks for second major summit with Trump continue Just hours after President Trump touted his efforts to denuclearize North Korea at a boisterous rally Saturday night, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters he had a "very productive" meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Sunday. Although there were no immediate indications the secretary of state had arranged for a second major summit between Trump and Kim, both leaders have publicly voiced support for another meeting. The jovial feeling during Pompeo's fourth trip to...

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday hailed the "dawn of a new day" with North Korea as the U.S. pushes diplomacy to denuclearize the regime. Chairing a meeting of the United Nations Security Council in New York, Pompeo sounded a hopeful note on the diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. But he also called for strict enforcement of all U.N. Security Council sanctions on Pyongyang until denuclearization is achieved. "Past diplomatic attempts to halt North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile development were unsuccessful," Pompeo said. "But now we're at the dawn of a new day." Pompeo credited U.S....

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday criticized Russia for its failure to cooperate with the U.S. on the world stage despite overtures by President Donald Trump to “develop a relationship” with the Kremlin. “They have not proven helpful in the Ukraine, in Syria,” Pompeo said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” in an interview set to air Sunday. The State Department last week imposed sanctions on China’s Equipment Development Department for its purchase of Russian combat aircraft and surface-to-air missile equipment. On Saturday, Pompeo pointed to those economic penalties as evidence of the Trump administration’s efforts to “push back...

Federal Employee for State Department: “Resist everything… Every level. F**k sh*t up.” Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Embedded in Federal Government Positions, Actively Resisting Stuart Karaffa Does Work for DSA While on Taxpayer’s Dime: “I’m careful about it. I don’t leave a paper trail.” “I have nothing to lose. It’s impossible to fire federal employees.” Ethics Officer Fails to Recognize Breach on Ethics Form: “somebody just rubber stamps it and it goes forward…”  (Washington DC) Today, Project Veritas released the first installment in an undercover videoinvestigation series unmasking the deep state. This video features a State Department employee, Stuart Karaffa,...

Press Statement Michael R. Pompeo Secretary of State Washington, DC August 24, 2018 On behalf of President Trump and the American people, congratulations to all Ukrainians on your national day. The United States steadfastly supports Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. We pay tribute to those who have fought and sacrificed for freedom in Ukraine, and we stand behind Ukraine as it adopts transformational reforms to increase prosperity, security, and rule of law. The friendship between our countries runs deep, and we are committed to the success of a stable, prosperous, democratic, and free Ukraine. We look forward to...

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to “closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures” and the killing of farmers there. “I have asked Secretary of State @SecPompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and large scale killing of farmers,” Trump said in a post on Twitter. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Aug. 1 that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) is forging ahead with plans to change the constitution to allow the expropriation of land without compensation, as whites still own most of...

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The U.S. Embassy in Ankara has not put out a statement regarding pastor Andrew Brunson, an embassy official told Reuters on Monday, after a report on social media cited the embassy as saying he would be released from house arrest by Aug. 15. The case of Brunson, an evangelical Christian being tried by a Turkish court, is one of a series of disputes that lies at the heart of deteriorating ties between the two NATO allies.

On 31 July, 2018, Heather Nauert briefed reporters on issues at the Department of State. She answered questions about the settlement of the First Amendment lawsuit with the Second Amendment Foundation and Defense Distributed. The State Department Press Briefing was posted by the Department of Defense videos. The pertinent exchange is from 5:59 to 10:54.  Link to Defense Department videoA reporter asked this loaded question: ..given the amount of public opposition to this and the amount of concern on Capitol Hill that's been raised, is the Secretary planning to do anything to stop these downloads from becoming available, as they...

On Monday at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo led a team of Cabinet-level officials to unveil the economic piece of the administration’s Indo-Pacific strategy. While he didn’t actually call out China by name, the entire scheme is meant to show the countries of East and Southeast Asia they have an alternative to what many see as China’s predatory debt approach to energy, infrastructure and digital economy investment, which is already resulting in backlash in countries including Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Critics may call the plan a drop in the bucket compared with the multitrillion...

FULL TITLE: Pompeo fights back after GOP Sen. Corker hits Trump for 'purposeful' sowing of 'doubt and distrust' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo clashed with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle during a tense Senate hearing on Wednesday, as he took a firm line on Russia amid criticisms that the Trump administration has been soft on Moscow. The hearing appearance marked the administration's highest-profile chance to address the sustained criticism over last week's summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland. Pompeo declared that the U.S. would never recognize the Kremlin's annexation of Crimea, and...

Later this week, the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will host the first-ever “Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom” at the State Department headquarters in Washington, D.C. The fact that this meeting is being held is about as important as what will come out of it.True, the substance matters. It’s crucial that activists and government officials from around the world hear tales of persecution from individuals whose plight has been overlooked or who have been beyond the reach of all press coverage. It is important that organizations know how to access government funds available to help them aid the persecuted. It...