Trump's acting defense secretary has to correct him on North Korea

Contrary to Trump’s assertion, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan admitted on Wednesday that North Korea’s recent missile tests did, indeed, violate United Nations resolutions against such actions, according to CNN.

“Let me just be clear: these were short-range missiles. Those are a violation of the UNSCR,” Shanahan said of the early May North Korea short-range ballistic missile tests.

Trump had a different assessment, saying on Monday that, “My people think it could have been a violation. I view it differently.”

Whether or not it is a violation is easy to figure out. In 2006, the United Nations passed a resolution stating that North Korea could not “conduct any further nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile,” according to CNN. The resolution also imposed sanctions against North Korea for such actions.

Military experts like Shanahan agree it was a short-range ballistic missile test, violating the resolution.

Shanahan’s background includes years spent working at Boeing, where he served as vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems.

Trump’s background includes losing a billion dollars in a decade as an unsuccessful businessman.

Unlike Shanahan, Trump was unperturbed by North Korea’s first missile tests since 2017, downplaying them as “some small weapons, which disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me.”

Trump has a soft spot for North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, telling a crowd in September that the two wrote each other beautiful letters and “fell in love.” Trump has held two high-profile meetings with Kim in what he has called an attempt to improve relations and work toward denuclearization of North Korea, with little success.

The latest batch of missile tests did not sit well, with Shanahan repeating the claim that they were a violation.

“A short-range missile, is that a violation? Yes,” Shanahan said. He added that his job is to enforce sanctions and “be ready in the situation that diplomacy fails.”

When it comes to trusting Kim or his own advisers, Trump seems to side with murderous dictators over Americans.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.