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REP. LIEU RESPONDS TO SEC. TILLERSON’S TROUBLING COMMENTS ON NORTH KOREA

April 5, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WashingtonToday, Representative Ted W. Lieu (D|Los Angeles County) issued the following statement in light of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's latest disturbing comments on the ongoing national security crisis surrounding North Korea.

"Secretary Tillerson's mystifying statement on North Korea's latest missile test is deeply troubling. The U.S. should not remain silent against belligerence directed at our allies and troops stationed abroad, nor suggest that diplomatic efforts are already over. The fact that the Secretary of State believes the U.S. has ‘spoken enough' about North Korea belies a disturbing lack of understanding of the role of our top diplomat. It also highlights that the Trump Administration has failed to articulate a strategy on the North Korean threat."

"I am also disturbed by brazen statements from the Administration. A senior White House official stated that ‘the clock has now run out.' President Trump stated that if China is not going to solve North Korea, then the U.S. will do it alone. On the world stage, word choice matters very much, and this Administration – with such provocative language – is potentially making empty threats or setting us on a course for war."

"The Trump Administration has not explained to the American people what it is doing. What is U.S. strategy for North Korea? How will the U.S. go it ‘alone'? What if North Korea rains down artillery shells and missiles on South Korea in response to unilateral U.S. action?"

"The American people and our allies deserve answers. The Trump Administration needs to explain to Congress and the American public what its strategy is for North Korea, not make cryptic or provocative statements to an adversary that has nuclear weapons."

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