A Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee said he’s concerned President Donald Trump will endanger the country by refusing to listen to his top intelligence officials ahead of his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“God knows what he’ll give away,” Rep. John Garamendi from California said Monday in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room.”
Garamendi said he is concerned the President will open formal diplomatic relations with North Korea despite warnings from Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats that North Korea is unlikely to give up its nuclear arsenal.
Last month, Coats and other intelligence chiefs contradicted Trump on national security issues in testimony to Congress. Sources told CNN that the President singled out Coats for criticism the next morning.
Garamendi criticized the President for the conflict with his spy chief, saying that Trump’s actions are a national security issue and the President has put the nation in jeopardy.
“We just have to hope and pray that nothing serious takes place,” Garamendi said. “Take a deep breath and pray, because this man is totally out of control.”
The congressman called on the President to listen carefully to his advisers who are well versed on these issues.
Trump will meet with Kim in Vietnam next week. It will be the second meeting between the two leaders, the first coming in June of last year.
When the two met in Singapore, they signed a joint statement committing to establishing new relations between the two countries. North Korea also committed to work towards denuclearization.
In a step towards those new relations, sources told CNN on Monday that the countries are seriously considering exchanging diplomatic liaison officers.
However, despite the 2018 summit, intelligence reports and satellite imagesindicate that North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear capabilities.
The Vietnam summit will take place on February 27 and 28 in Hanoi.
