Graham warns that Trump’s deal with North Korea needs approval from Congress

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday said any agreement between the U.S. and North Korea that comes from President Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong Un should come to Congress for approval. 

“Not only do I want to see the details, I want to vote on them,” Graham said on NBC’s “Today.”

“So here’s what I would tell President Trump: I stand with you…but anything you negotiate with North Korea will have to come to the Congress for our approval,” he continued. “But I’m hopeful.”

He also signaled some doubt about the details of the denuclearization agreement Trump achieved with Kim. 

“I think he has convinced Kim Jong Un that he’s better off giving up his nuclear weapons than he is keeping them, and that’s the goal,” Graham continued. “And if he has failed to do that then we’re going to have a military conflict.”

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Trump met Tuesday in Singapore with Kim, marking the first summit between sitting leaders of the U.S. and North Korea. The two leaders met face-to-face, joined only by translators, followed by expanded meetings with members of their respective administrations.

After hours of discussions, the two men signed an agreement Tuesday committing the United States to unspecified “security guarantees” in exchange for a denuclearized Korean peninsula. The document did not include specifics on the timeline or nature of denuclearization, however.

“I think both sides are going to be impressed with the result,” Trump told reporters. “We’re going to take care of a very big and very dangerous problem for the world.”

Trump also announced the U.S. would call off military exercises with South Korea while negotiations continue with the North.

Graham, who has drafted an authorization for use of military force and expressed support for military use in North Korea as a last resort, said he doesn’t believe the lack of military exercises will be a significant factor in the long-term.

“The one thing that I would violently disagree with is removing our troops,” Graham said. “I can’t imagine I would vote for any agreement that requires us to withdraw our forces because that would destabilize Asia. That’s what China wants. That doesn’t make the world more peaceful, it makes it more dangerous.”