As the nation prepares to honor former President Jimmy Carter with a state funeral on January 9, new accounts highlight a tense chapter in his post-presidential legacy. During the Clinton administration, Carter’s unauthorized diplomatic efforts in North Korea reportedly sparked outrage, with one senior official allegedly branding the former president a “treasonous prick.”
The episode, detailed in a National Review report, sheds light on the friction between the two Democratic leaders. Carter’s solo negotiations with North Korea, conducted without prior approval from the Clinton White House, left President Bill Clinton boxed into accepting a deal he had not sanctioned—complicating U.S. foreign policy at a critical moment.
According to a National Review, during Clinton’s presidency, Carter acted unilaterally to negotiate with North Korea—a move that blindsided the Clinton administration. Carter, accompanied by a CNN film crew, reportedly brokered a framework agreement with the rogue state and announced it publicly before consulting with Clinton’s team. The sudden announcement left the administration scrambling, with Clinton forced to accept the deal and abandon U.N. sanctions efforts.
Washington, DC US – May 7, 1976: Governor Jimmy Carter (Democrat of Georgia), a candidate