BY: Bill Gertz Follow @BillGertz
April 26, 2017 5:57 pm
The Senate took part in a rare White House briefing on Wednesday to hear what senior leaders described as "an urgent national security threat" posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.
The hour-long secret session for all senators was held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House, and included a brief appearance from President Trump who made short, introductory remarks.
Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also took part in the session. His presence is an indication that military
options for dealing with North Korea likely were discussed.
White House officials and congressional aides
sought to play down the significance of the briefing that comes amid heightened tensions. But all the officials said the threat from North Korea remains serious.
"I think it's really an expression of how seriously the president is taking this, and that he wants to engage with Congress on it," a senior administration official said of the session that has been scheduled for some time and is not a response to any particular event.
The aircraft carrier strike group led by
the USS Carl Vinson is expected to arrive near the Korean peninsula in the next day, and a U.S. missile submarine also has been deployed.
The Air Force Strike Command also announced that a U.S. long-range nuclear missile was test fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, on Wednesday. The command called the test of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile "an important demonstration of our nation's nuclear deterrent capability."
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/senators-told-north-korea-nuclear-threat-urgent/
