Press Releases

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, released a statement following President Trump’s summit with North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un, in Vietnam:

“President Trump’s decision to walk away from the summit with North Korea without an agreement was preferable to making a bad deal.  It was also the inevitable result of the President’s misplaced faith in his personal relationship with the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un, and in his own ability to conclude an agreement, despite the belief among his own national security team that at this stage Pyongyang will be unwilling to accept complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization. 

“The most telling sign of North Korea’s fundamental lack of commitment to real denuclearization can be seen in its refusal to provide a detailed accounting of its nuclear and missile sites. The Trump Administration’s decision that this would not be required before a second summit with the President was a serious mistake, and one that allowed Kim the prestige of sharing the world stage with a U.S. President while committing to nothing in return. 

“Without a comprehensive deal to address North Korea’s arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, the United States and the international community must maintain sanctions and diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang. The President’s repeated statements praising Kim have only contributed to the regime’s legitimization and a lessening of Pyongyang’s isolation.

“I do not share the President’s confidence in Kim’s assurances that he will continue to refrain from further nuclear and ballistic missile testing, and I remain concerned about a return to ‘fire and fury’ in the absence of an agreement. 

“President Trump’s credulous acceptance of Kim’s denial of any involvement in the death of Otto Warmbier is detestable and harkens back to Trump’s acceptances of other equally implausible denials from other dictators. American diplomacy is strongest when it is rooted in our nation’s core values. There must be no full normalization of relations with the DPRK until the regime permanently ceases its gross human rights violations.

“A verifiable end to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs remains in the best interest of the American people, but it must be the result of a clear-eyed and comprehensive set of negotiations.”