Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Wednesday that CIA Director Mike Pompeo could achieve a "remarkably historic" deal with North Korea.
"Just think about the Democrats in the Senate right now, wrestling with whether or not to vote for Pompeo to be secretary of state. This is a guy who graduated first at West Point. Graduated first at Harvard Law School," Gingrich said on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" on Wednesday.
"[Pompeo] just proved he is capable of quiet diplomacy by going as the CIA director to sit down with the dictator of North Korea."
President Donald Trump confirmed on Wednesday morning that Pompeo made a previously undisclosed trip to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong Un last week.
"I believe that there is a very real chance that the Trump policy of firmness is leading Kim Jong Un to decide that he actually wants a deal," Gingrich continued. "I think that would be remarkably historic and I think that having a willingness to meet with him, going through this process, really opens up possibilities that are very important."
The former speaker added that Democrats should see this as a sign of competence, and confirm Pompeo immediately.
"It's absurd that they're being slow about this," Gingrich said. "I would hope today with this news, that Democrats would recognize that Mike Pompeo can be a pretty darn good diplomat and that he is very prepared to negotiate. Even with the toughest dictator on the planet."
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