In June, unnamed US officials told a South Korean newspaper that Victor Cha, a Korea expert at Georgetown University, was the likely pick, a move widely praised by Asia experts from both parties.

But the absence of any movement on Cha’s nomination and his publication of an op-ed in the Washington Post co-authored by a former policy aide of Hillary Clinton, a perennial punching bag for Trump, has raised concerns about the status of his appointment.

In the column, Cha and Clinton adviser Jake Sullivan outline a new plan for resolving the North Korea crisis that involves China “paying for North Korea to halt and roll back its nuclear and missile programs.”

“It’s not enough to ask China to pressure Pyongyang to set up a U.S.-North Korea negotiation,” the authors wrote in July. “China has to be a central part of the negotiation, too.”

When asked about his potential appointment, Cha declined to comment.

One person close to the White House said he believed the nomination was a “done deal” and that Cha’s op-ed didn’t bother the Trump administration because it “didn’t say anything bad about Trump.”

Competent and not batshit crazy? I'm surprised he was ever considered in the first place.

#MAGA Make Asia Glow Again!