House Dem backs off on bill blaming Kim Jong Un for Otto Warmbier’s death at family’s request

Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) is holding off on plans to introduce a resolution blaming North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the death of Otto Warmbier at the request of the Warmbier family.

“The family ultimately decided they did not want the resolution to go forward, and we are respecting their wishes,” Amanda Osborne, a spokeswoman for the freshman congressman, confirmed to The Hill.

Osborne’s statement was first reported by ABC News.

Malinowski tweeted Friday that he would introduce a bipartisan resolution “affirming that Congress holds Kim Jong Un responsible for the death of Otto Warmbier.” The congressman was expected to introduce the measure this week.

I’ll be introducing a bipartisan resolution next week affirming that Congress holds Kim Jong Un responsible for the death of Otto Warmbier.

— Tom Malinowski (@Malinowski) March 1, 2019

{mosads}President Trump sparked bipartisan backlash following his summit last week in Vietnam with Kim when he said during a press conference that the North Korean leader had denied involvement in Warmbier’s death, adding, “I will take him at his word.”

Warmbier, who was a University of Virginia student, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly attempting to steal a propaganda poster during a January 2016 visit to Pyongyang. He was reportedly in a coma when he was sent back to the U.S. in 2017 and died at age 22 a short time later.

Republicans and Democrats alike have condemned Trump’s comments and said Kim was responsible for Warmbier’s death. Warmbier’s parents issued a statement saying Kim’s government was responsible for their son’s death and that “no excuses or lavish praise can change that.”

Trump later claimed his words were “misinterpreted” but did not say he held Kim responsible for Warmbier’s death.

Updated at 8:15 p.m.