Ex-Energy Sec. Moniz: Trump Wrong on NKorea No Longer Nuclear Threat

Former Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said President Donald Trump was wrong when he declared North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat.

"That’s very hard to accept, given the fact they still, of course, have their nuclear weapons," he said of the president’s comments.

Moniz, who served in the Obama administration, made his remarks Thursday on CNN’s "New Day." A video excerpt of his interview was posted on the show’s Twitter account.

"And one of the big problems we have is that we don’t know how many (weapons) they have,” he said. “So, once the negotiations start, clearly understanding their inventory of not only nuclear weapons, but chemical and biological weapons. is going to be a starting place…"

He maintained the U.S. can’t simply “trust them in terms of a full declaration.”

Asked specifically if Trump was wrong in declaring North Korea is not a nuclear threat now, he said: "Well, yeah," he said. "Nothing has changed on the ground."

Trump, after arriving back in Washington from his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had tweeted: "There is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea."

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