Schiff questions if North Korea tried to 'flatter' Trump | TheHill - The Hill

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam SchiffAdam Bennett Schiff Nunes accuses Schiff of secret coordination with anti-Trump researcher The Hill's Morning Report — Lawmakers: We are closing on a deal Hillicon Valley: Dems ready to subpoena Trump Tower meeting phone records | Dems, Whitaker in standoff over testimony | Bezos accuses National Enquirer of 'extortion' | Amazon offers rules for facial recognition | Apple releases FaceTime fix MORE (D-Calif.) questioned on Saturday if North Korea had tried to influence President TrumpDonald John Trump White House begins search for person who leaked president’s schedule: report O'Rourke to headline counter-Trump rally at border Trump touts Kim summit: North Korea will become economic 'rocket' MORE by flattering him ahead of a second summit set for later this month.

"All countries do psychological profiles of other foreign leaders to determine how they can be manipulated. North Korea may have determined that if they flatter Trump, they can achieve normalization of relations and easing of sanctions without denuclearization," Schiff tweeted Saturday. "That’s dangerous."

All countries do psychological profiles of other foreign leaders to determine how they can be manipulated.
North Korea may have determined that if they flatter Trump, they can achieve normalization of relations and easing of sanctions without denuclearization.
That’s dangerous. https://t.co/gtZWuDWmga
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) February 9, 2019

Schiff was responding to a tweet from Trump late Friday in which the president said North Korea could see immense economic benefits under North Korean leader Kim Jong Un if a denuclearization agreement is reached between Washington and Pyongyang.

“North Korea, under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, will become a great Economic Powerhouse. He may surprise some but he won’t surprise me, because I have gotten to know him & fully understand how capable he is. North Korea will become a different kind of Rocket - an Economic one!” Trump tweeted Friday evening.

Trump has previously emphasized possible economic benefits that could North Korea could see if the two countries reach an agreement on denuclearization. Such a deal would likely include lifting stringent U.S. sanctions on the country.

Trump and Kim are set to meet in Hanoi at the end of the month to continue negotiating denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. The two leaders first met in June 2018 at a summit in Singapore that Trump later declared a success.

Kim has not taken any verifiable steps toward reducing or dismantling North Korea's nuclear arsenal. U.S. intelligence officials, including Director of National Intelligence Dan CoatsDaniel (Dan) Ray Coats Trump touts Kim summit: North Korea will become economic 'rocket' Hillicon Valley: House Intel panel will release Russia interviews | T-Mobile, Sprint step up merger push | DHS cyber office hosting webinars on China | Nest warns customers to shore up password security House Intel panel votes to release Russia interview transcripts to Mueller MORE and CIA Director Gina Haspel testified in a congressional hearing last week that North Korea is unlikely to completely forfeit its nuclear weapons.