“We have been respectful during this summit process,” Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement. “Now we must speak out. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto." | Frank Franklin II/AP Photo North Korea Nuclear Summit Trump hits back at criticism that he gave Kim Jong Un a pass for Otto Warmbier's death

President Donald Trump on Friday defended himself against criticism that he gave North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a pass for the death of American student Otto Warmbier — including from Warmbier's parents — saying "of course" he holds the regime responsible.

The president in a series of tweets said he never likes "being misinterpreted, but especially when it comes to Otto Warmbier and his great family," adding that "the previous Administration did nothing, and he was taken on their watch."


"Of course I hold North Korea responsible," Trump tweeted. "....for Otto’s mistreatment and death. Most important, Otto Warmbier will not have died in vain. Otto and his family have become a tremendous symbol of strong passion and strength, which will last for many years into the future. I love Otto and think of him often!"

Warmbier's parents, Fred and Cindy, issued a damning statement on Friday saying Kim was responsible for the death of their son, and seemingly rebuking the president's comments at this week's summit in Vietnam that Kim did not know of the mistreatment, which left Warmbier in a catatonic state.

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“We have been respectful during this summit process,” the Warmbiers said in the statement. “Now we must speak out. 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.”

Otto Warmbier was a student at the University of Virginia when he was arrested in 2016 while on a trip to North Korea after officials accused him of trying to steal a propaganda poster from his hotel. Then age 21, he was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor but released 17 months later after sustaining significant brain damage. Warmbier was flown back to the United States, but he was in a vegetative state and died soon after.

At a news conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Thursday, Trump said he didn’t believe that Kim — whose regime is accused of a number of human rights violations — would have ordered the mistreatment of Warmbier.

"Some really bad things happened to Otto — some really, really bad things. But he tells me he didn't know about it, and I will take him at his word," Trump, referring to Kim, told reporters at the end of the leaders’ two-day summit.

“What happened is horrible. I really believe something really bad happened to him and I don't think the top leadership knew about it,” the president added.

Trump’s statements drew bipartisan backlash for his statements Thursday as lawmakers accused the president of covering for the North Korean dictator.

Trump’s comments also marked a departure from past statements, including his words at the 2018 State of the Union address — which Warmbier’s parents attended as the president’s guests — when he blamed North Korea’s “dictatorship” for the American student’s death.

Earlier on Friday, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said the president stands by his stated intent to take Kim at his word.

“The president agrees with the Warmbier family and holds North Korea responsible for Otto Warmbier's death. He’s said that time and again,” Conway told Fox News.

“What the president is saying that there is no indication Chairman Kim knew what happened to Otto Warmbier when it happened,” she added. “It was after he was returned to the United States we all learned of his very sad and, frankly, unforgivable state.”