A top national security adviser to President Donald Trump said Thursday that the idea of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson discussing military matters regarding North Korea is "simply nonsensical," adding that future threats from Pyongyang will be met with war.
Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president, told BBC radio to listen to Trump's tough talk on North Korea, rather than America's top diplomat.
"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.
He added that Tillerson should focus on diplomacy and leave military issues to the Pentagon.
"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," Gorka said. "Secretary Tillerson is the chief diplomat of the United States, and it is his portfolio to handle those issues."
Gorka's comments came one day after Tillerson offered a more measured take on current tensions between Washington and Pyongyang after Trump promised "fire and fury" should the North Koreans continue to threaten the U.S.
"Nothing that I have seen and nothing that I know of would indicate that the situation has dramatically changed in the last 24 hours," Tillerson told reporters on Wednesday. "Americans should sleep well at night."
But Gorka indicated to the BBC that if North Korea continues to threaten the United States, it will be met with war.
"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?" the interviewer asked.
Gorka indicated that there would be no other choice.
"If you threaten a nation, then what should you expect—a stiffly worded letter that would be sent by courier?" he said. "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?"
Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have been particularly high this week as Pyongyang continues to make significant progress with its nuclear weapons and missile capabilities and both sides exchange heated rhetoric. The United Nations Security Council on Saturday imposed new sanctions on North Korea for violating U.N. resolutions and continuing to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles.