New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson appeared on the "Today" show Monday morning to discuss the sentencing of two American journalists to 12 years of hard labor by North Korea. The Pyongyang government said the women, who are reporters for Current TV, had illegally entered North Korean territory when they were arrested.

Richardson described the journalists' sentencing as "harsher than expected," but said that there is some good news in the development. With every humanitarian release he has seen, Richardson said, any court trial had to be completed before diplomacy could begin. He also said that the Swedish ambassador to North Korea had been allowed to see the women three times, and that they have been allowed to speak with their families.

Especially interesting to the Capitolist was Richardson's aside during the interview that he had been contacted by the White House about the situation: "The administration has reached out to me for advice and I've spoken with the families." Earlier this month, the governor said Obama had reached out to him to discuss North Korea's nuclear testing.

The outreach from 1600 comes after Richardson was dumped by the White House as its choice for Commerce Secretary in January because of a corruption investigation in New Mexico. Richardson's deep expertise in North Korean diplomacy comes both from his role as former ambassador to the U.N. under Bill Clinton and from several trips to North Korea as an unofficial envoy for the United States. Although the U.S. already has an envoy to North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, Richardson's interaction with the White House fascinates...

Here's the interview: