Scott Israel's future 'up to local officials': White House on school shooting

Washington (US): Following US President Donald Trump's critical remarks about the Broward County police officers at the Parkland school shooting, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Monday said Sheriff Scott Israel and officer Scot Peterson's future is up to local officials on whether or not they should be fired.

"The president feels in terms of his employment that should be left up to local officials to make that determination," Sanders said during Monday's White House briefing.

There are reports that during the shooting, which killed 17 students, three Broward County Sheriff's deputies, although armed, did not enter the school.

When asked whether the President would have run into the school un-armed had he been on the scene, Sanders said, "I think he was just stating that as a leader, he would have stepped in and hopefully been able to help."

On bump stocks or the devices making semi-automatic rifles fire automatically, Sanders said that if the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and DOJ cannot find a way to ban them, the Trump administration "would support a legislative solution to complete that".

"Look, we're not advocating for the arming of every single teacher in the school, there are teachers and other school personnel who have experienced pre-existing training and have a desire to be part of this," she said on the idea of arming school personnel.

Sanders also said Trump was committed to ensuring the safety of schools and communities and wanted to hear "ideas from Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs".

Talking about the President's daughter Ivanka Trump led US Delegation to the closing ceremony of Winter Games, the Press Secretary said Washington would "continue to lead a campaign of maximum pressure" on the North Korean regime.

"We also believe that there is a brighter path available to North Korea. They have expressed a desire to hold talks. But let us be completely clear: Denuclearisation must be the result of any dialogue with North Korea. Until then, the US and the world must continue to make it known that North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes are a dead end."

When asked if the recent visits of Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump at the opening and the closing ceremony of the games were a missed opportunity for both sides to talk, she said the message the US wanted to deliver was the one of maximum pressure, and it continued to do that.