Trump REVERSES North Korea Sanctions Just Hours After His Own Government Announced Them
Just hours after President Donald Trump‘s own Treasury Department announced additional sanctions on a pair of Chinese companies that it says are helping North Korea evade sanctions, Trump announced via Twitter that he is lifting “large-scale sanctions” against North Korea.
On Thursday, the Treasury Department issued a press release announcing the sanctioning of “two shipping companies that have helped North Korea evade sanctions,” and that “As a result of today’s action, any property or interests in property of the designated persons in the possession or control of U.S. persons or within or transiting the United States is blocked, and U.S. persons generally are prohibited from dealing with the designated persons.”
On Friday, Trump tweeted that “It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea,” and added “I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!”
It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea. I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 22, 2019
Trump’s announcement was met with confusion by the press, and apparently the White House as well:
No one at the @WhiteHouse seems to know what this is about. @USTreasury did not announce any new sanctions against North Korea. Sanctions announced today were regarding Iran. https://t.co/nLpBil08Bz
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) March 22, 2019
Roberts is correct that in addition to the sanctions against the Chinese companies, Treasury did announce additional sanctions against Iran on Friday.
**Mass confusion** as Trump breaks puzzling sanctions news by tweet. https://t.co/fO3tYr9LVF
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) March 22, 2019
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders issued a brief statement following Trump’s puzzling announcement:
“President Trump likes Chairman Kim and he doesn’t think these sanctions will be necessary.” Statement from Sarah Sanders just now. https://t.co/b7KIExRDRN
— Vivian Salama (@vmsalama) March 22, 2019
What we know for sure is that Trump lifted or tried to lift something because he “likes” North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
UPDATE –– 6:47 pm ET: Per the Washington Post, sources are now saying Trump was reversing “a future round of unannounced large scale sanctions expected for next week”:
Sources say Trump did not withdraw the North Korea sanctions from Thursday, instead he’s canceling a future round of unannounced large scale sanctions expected for next week. It was a major communications failure as a result of his ambiguous tweet
— John Hudson (@John_Hudson) March 22, 2019
