Sen. James Lankford on Sunday dismissed President Donald Trump’s praise of North Korea leader Kim Jong Un as “honorable,” charging “he kills anyone who disagrees with him.”
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the Oklahoma Republican railed at Kim’s iron rule of his nation.
“I would never use the word ‘honorable’ to describe Kim Jong Un,” Lankford said.
“The reason that everyone in North Korea agrees with him is because he kills anyone who disagrees with him,” he added. “He’s literally starved his own people to help the elite. It is important we resolve this.”
Lankford also refused to endorse Trump’s attack on Sen. John Tester, D-Mont., in the wake of Department of Veterans Affairs secretary nominee Ronny Jackson’s decision to pull out of consideration during the Senate committee’s investigation of allegations of misconduct against him.
Jackson “served honorably,” Lankford said, and suggested he would have preferred the White House doctor to “go through the process” of Senate vetting.
“Obviously the president can say what he chooses to say,” Lankford said. “It is part of the political world in D.C. I'm not there. Obviously the committee does the initial work. I couldn't tell the rest of the details on this. He served honorably. It makes a difference to then go through this process.”