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Bolton on whether Kim was responsible for Warmbier’s death: ‘My opinion doesn’t matter’

National security adviser John Bolton said Sunday that his opinion “doesn’t matter” when asked if he believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was responsible for the death of Otto Warmbier, the American college student who died after being imprisoned there.

“My opinion doesn’t matter,” Bolton said during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” when pressed on the subject by host Jake Tapper. 

{mosads}President Trump said last week that he would take Kim “at his word” after he said the reclusive leader denied being involved in Warmbier’s death.

Bolton noted Sunday that he’s no longer a Fox News contributor and said it’s not the job of administration officials to give opinions “from the distance.”

“People in the media seems to have the impression that administration officials kind of comment from the distance as if I were a Fox News contributor, as I used to be, I don’t do that anymore. I give my advice to the president. I give my opinions to the president. He makes up his own mind. He’s the president,” Bolton said.

Trump’s comments on Warmbier, which were made during a news conference in Vietnam following a summit with Kim, drew swift backlash from lawmakers in Congress.

Additionally, the parents of Warmbier said in a statement following Trump’s remark that “Kim and his evil regime” were responsible for their son’s death.

“Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that,” they said.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said on ABC’s “This Week” that North Korea “murdered” Warmbier.

“I think Kim knew what happened, which was wrong,” he said.

Tags Donald Trump Kevin McCarthy

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