5:05 p.m. ET, July 25, 2018
Pompeo won't say publicly if North Korea is still moving forward with its nuclear program
Sen. Cory Gardner asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo if North Korea is making progress with its nuclear program. Pompeo said he couldn't give his answer during the hearing.
Here's how the exchange went down:
Gardner: Is North Korea still moving or making advancements undertaking a nuclear program?
Pompeo: May I answer that question in a different setting?
Gardner: You can’t answer that question here?
Pompeo: Yeah. I’d prefer not to.
Pompeo then explained further: "I'm not trying to be cute. We're engaged in a complex negotiation with a difficult adversary and each of the activities that we undertake is not going to be fully apparent to the world at the moment it is undertaken."