WH national security adviser on North Korean ‘Christmas gift’: ‘We’ll have to wait and see’

by Justine Coleman - 12/29/19 9:42 AM ET

White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said Sunday that the U.S. is still monitoring for North Korea’s promised “Christmas gift,” saying, “We’ll have to wait and see.”

O’Brien said on ABC’s “This Week” that President Trump’s strategy of personal diplomacy could have deterred North Korean leader Kim Jong Un from launching what experts assumed would be a long-range missile test.

“Perhaps he’s reconsidered that, but we’ll have to wait and see,” he said. “We’re going to monitor it closely. It’s a situation that concerns us, of course.”

North Korea promised to deliver a “Christmas gift” to the U.S. which had officials on alert for a potential long-range missile test.

Trump national security adviser Robert O’Brien: “Perhaps (Kim Jong Un) reconsidered that, but we’ll have to wait and see” https://t.co/0n5QdpEKjg pic.twitter.com/chZHTyh2ey

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) December 29, 2019

When asked about the consequences of North Korea continuing long-range missile or nuclear tests, O’Brien said that he did not want to “speculate about what will happen.” But he touted the Trump administration’s handling of North Korean diplomacy.

“I don’t want to speculate about what will happen, but we have a lot of tools in our tool kit, and additional pressure can be brought to bear on the North Koreans,” he said.

.@jonkarl: “What will be the consequences if North Korea resumes either long range missile tests or nuclear tests?”

WH national security adviser Robert O’Brien: “I don’t want to speculate about what will happen but we have a lot of tools in our tool kit.” https://t.co/0n5QdpEKjg pic.twitter.com/aivgDDi8YQ

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) December 29, 2019

{mosads}North Korea said the U.S. could choose which “Christmas gift” it would receive as the countries’ denuclearization negotiations stalled before an end-of-the-year deadline imposed by North Korea.

Christmas passed without any incident, although the globe was put on alert by the threat.