Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) released a statement following reports of North Korea testing an intercontinental ballistic missile. Mr. Lieu has been highly critical of Trump Administration strategic missteps when it comes to North Korea.
“The Trump Administration has failed to make any meaningful progress in addressing the North Korean threat. In fact, all of their bluster and threats appear to have only made the situation worse. While experts predict North Korea is still years away from being able to miniaturize a reliable nuclear warhead for an ICBM, the successful launch shows that the Trump Administration needs a new approach. There are no good military options against North Korea, and any conflict would be catastrophic.”
“Instead of further provoking North Korea, the Administration needs to engage in the difficult but necessary work of diplomacy. It is unconscionable that the President has yet to nominate an Ambassador to South Korea or an Assistant Secretary for Nonproliferation – key positions for addressing this ongoing crisis. Now is the time to negotiate and use all of America’s non-military sources of power, not escalate and cause a fatal miscalculation with a country that has weapons of mass destruction.”
