WASHINGTON, D.C.U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement:

“I will always remain hopeful that a breakthrough can occur with North Korea that will end their nuclear program, stop the human rights abuses happening there, and lead to peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. I truly doubt that the outcome of this meeting puts us on a course to get there.

“President Trump and his team’s lack of planning, preparation, or forethought was apparent. The result was more of a press release than an agreement. It gave North Korea major concessions without any meaningful details for the verifiable dismantlement of their nuclear program or pledges on human rights. And the United States received nothing concrete in return for our President legitimizing Kim Jong Un’s ruthless regime and feeding the North Korean propaganda machine.

“Negotiating with our enemies is one thing. Embracing one of the world’s most brutal and violent dictators with little to show for it just days after insulting some of America’s closest democratic allies is another. Aggressive behavior toward our friends and neighbors for the sake of showboating recklessly endangers our economy, our security, and has weakened America's standing in the world.”

 

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