Politics & Government

King: U.S. Has 'Right' to Make Preemptive Strike in North Korea

Lawmaker says America shouldn't rush into war, but should be ready.

Rep. Peter King says the U.S. shouldn't rule out a preemptive strike on North Korea.

In an interview with CNN, King, R-Seaford, said that Americans should move to prevent casualties if there is "solid evidence" that Kim Jong Un's government is planning an attack.

"I don't think we have to necessarily wait until we're attacked, if we have good reason to believe there's going to be an attack, I believe we have the right to take preemptive action to protect ourselves,"  said King, whose 2nd Congressional District includes South Farmingdale.

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North Korea has been making numerous threats against the U.S. and South Korea over the past few days. 

The Obama administration has responded by deploying B-2 Stealth bombers, which are capable of dropping nuclear weapons, over the region. King supported this response. 

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King, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and Chairman of the Sub-Committee on Counter-terrorism and Intelligence, said the U.S. should move to keep Americans safe. 

"I don't think we have to wait until Americans are killed or wounded or injured in any way," he said. "I'm not saying we should be rushing into war, don't get me wrong, but if we have solid evidence that North Korea's going to take action, then I think we have a moral obligation and an absolute right to defend ourselves."


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