Sen. Chris Coons said Thursday he's grateful that President Donald Trump walked away rather than making a "weak deal" with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un, but he does think it's time to move toward "real and serious diplomacy" rather than "reality TV summits."
"I'm grateful the president didn't take a dangerous step of giving away our military strength on a weak deal," the Delaware Democrat told MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "I think it's a good thing that he walked away rather than doing something that was wrong."
However, Coons said he's concerned that there does not seem to be a followup or a next step to transition the talks to professional diplomacy between technical experts.
Earlier Thursday, Trump walked away from a deal with Kim after the North Korean leader demanded an end to US sanctions in exchange for North Korea dismantling its main nuclear facility at Yongbyon.
The senator also said it was clear that Trump was "greatly distracted" by the testimony of his former attorney, Michael Cohen, before the House Oversight Committee.
"I'll agree that Michael Cohen is a liar and criminal and is now going to jail," said Coons, while noting that several others in Trump's orbit have also been found guilty of crimes.
"Apparently candidate Trump surrounded himself with criminals and liars yet we're supposed to believe that he and his campaign did nothing illegal," said Coons.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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