“So, are you saying now you don’t favor regime change?” “Senator, I have never advocated for regime change. I have all along —” “It’s a simple question. You’re not. You don’t believe —” “I’m happy to answer today that I’m not advocating for regime change. Yes, Senator.” “I mean, I suppose it’s possible that we would get to the condition where, and I think there would be wide consensus on this panel, where Kim Jong-un was directly threatening and we had information about his activities. Yes, I can imagine times when America would need to take a response that moved past diplomacy.” “I would say to you that the consequences of the United States’ initiating an attack against North Korea would be catastrophic.” “Senator, I agree with that.” “If we had not been attacked. If we had not been attacked. And that’s what concerns me about John Bolton. And I think the American people will want reassurances.” “Can you share with me the exact goals of the presidential summit between the United States and North Korea?” “It is to develop an agreement with the North Korean leadership such that the North Korean leadership will step away from its efforts to hold America at risk with nuclear weapons, completely and verifiably.” “Could you talk about if you believe there is a scenario in which North Korea would actually dismantle its nuclear weapons program?” “Senator, the historic analysis there is not optimistic. That is, it is almost a talisman that there is not enough coercion. There is not enough capacity for Kim Jong-un to make the decision to give up his nuclear weapons arsenal.” “The capacity, the nuclear capability, the technology and the capacities that North Korea has or continue to exist — they present an enormous proliferation threat throughout the world. They’ve demonstrated that through history, and there’s no reason to think, absent us being successful, they‘ll stop their proliferation.” “Does that currently include Syria?” “Sir, I can’t speak to that.”