Sebastian Gorka appeared on BBC radio Thursday and delivered one of the most aggressive takes to date on what Trump might do — even allowing that a mere threat from North Korea could be construed as an act of war, as Trump seemed to do earlier this week. In doing so, Gorka played down Tillerson's role in all of this.
“You should listen to the president; the idea that Secretary Tillerson is going to discuss military matters is simply nonsensical,” Gorka said in a recording shared with The Washington Post. “It is the job of Secretary Mattis, the secretary of defense, to talk about the military options, and he has done so unequivocally. He said, ‘Woe betide anyone who militarily challenges the United States,’ and that is his portfolio. That is his mandate. Secretary Tillerson is the chief diplomat of the United States, and it is his portfolio to handle those issues.”
The suggestion seems to be that Tillerson was out of his element when he provided those assurances Wednesday — that Tillerson wouldn't even know how imminent such a conflict might be because it's not in his purview.
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Tillerson seemed to scale back that red line Wednesday. But Gorka's comments provide yet more conflicting information from the White House about precisely where that red line lies. Gorka seems to be saying it's right back to where Trump suggested it was — or at least that Trump reserved the right to consider mere threats to be acts of war.
The interviewer pressed him on that point:
Q: But are you telling me though, Mr. Gorka, that if there is an action by North Korea that is felt by the United States to be threatening, then that is war? Is that the understanding that the North Koreans should have?
GORKA: If you threaten a nation, then what should you expect — a stiffly worded letter that would be sent by courier? Is that what the U.K. would do if a nation threatened a nuclear-tipped missile launched against any of the United Kingdom’s territories?