[Keilar:] The family of Otto Warmbier has issued a sharp rebuke of President Trump after his shocking public defense of dictator Kim Jong-un in the brutal mistreatment and death of their son. Our Brian Todd is here with this. And the family really did not hold back, Brian.
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] They did not, Brianna. A lot of pent up anger coming from the Warmbier family today. And tonight, the White House is still doing damage control following the President's remarks in Hanoi.
[Todd:] Analysts called it a low point in an all ready dismal news conference.
[Trump:] He tells me that he didn't know about it. And I will take him at his word.
[Todd:] The President's saying he supported North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un's stance that Kim didn't know of American college student Otto Warmbier's deteriorating condition in a North Korean prison.
[Trump:] I don't that believe that he would have allowed that to happen.
[Todd:] Tonight, that statement is receiving a stinging rebuke from Warmbier's parents. Fred and Cindy Warmbier saying they've not spoken during the summit out of respect, but now could hold back no longer. In a statement saying, "Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. No excuses or lavish praise can change that."
[Robert King, Former U.s. Special Envoy To North Korea For Human Rights:] For them, this is a horrible situation to go through. And I can understand their concern about what was said.
[Todd:] Otto Warmbier, a student at the University of Virginia, was arrested for allegedly stealing a political sign during his tour at Pyongyang in early 2016 during what was widely seen as a show trial, he wept.
[Otto Warmbier, American Student Who Was Imprisoned In North Korea:] Safest core of innocent scapegoat.
[Todd:] Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. A 1.5 year later, North Korean diplomats abruptly asked for a meeting with their U.S. counterparts and told them the young American was in a coma. Warmbier was quickly evacuated and died just a couple of day after returning home. Trump initially attacked Kim and his regime for the death.
[Trump:] We need only look at the depraved character of the North Korean regime.
[Todd:] And he embraced Warmbier's parents, inviting them to the State of the Union Address.
[Trump:] You are powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world. And your strength truly inspires us all.
[Todd:] Analysts said that seemed to be a far cry from his comments this week.
[Trump:] He felt badly about it.
[Todd:] Tonight, facing backlash from the family, the President took to Twitter saying he had been misinterpreted on Thursday. "Of course I hold North Korea responsible for Otto's mistreatment and death. Most important, Otto Warmbier will not have died in vain. I love Otto and think of him often."
[Kelyanne Conway, White House Counselor:] The President is saying is that there's no indication Chairman Kim knew what happened to Otto Warmbier when it happened.
[Todd:] But that seems improbable, expert say, because after his death, doctors who examined Otto Warmbier said they believed he'd been in a vegetative state for 14 months before being sent home. If he is in a vegetative state for 14 months, does Kim Jong-un not know about it at all during that time?
[King:] Kim would have known as soon as they had determined that this was something that wasn't reversible. He would have known immediately.
[Todd:] So why would President Trump have said he believed Kim? Analysts say it could have been for pure political expediency.
[Marcus Noland, Peterson Institute For International Economics:] On human rights groups have not been given much access to the administration which is clearly prioritizing the nuclear negotiations and thinking that human rights issues may get in the way.
[Todd:] So in the end, will Kim Jong-un ever be held accountable in the case of Otto Warmbier? Analysts say that is not likely. The Warmbier family was recently awarded more than $500 million in a wrongful death lawsuit against the North Korean regime. But experts say it's not likely they're going to collect much if any of that. What could happen expert say is that the Warmbier case could be used as leverage with the North Koreas in negotiations over the possible lifting of sanctions. Brianna?
[Keilar:] And Otto's parents claim that he had been tortured during his detention in North Korea. What did the doctors who examined him say?
[Todd:] Right, Brianna. Warmbier's parents have said his legs were deformed when he was returned to the U.S. And they said it looked like someone had rearranged his bottom teeth with a pair of pliers. But the coroner in Hamilton County, Ohio who examined Warmbier said they found no evidence of trauma to the lower teeth, no indications of torture. Still just about everyone agrees that Otto Warmbier deteriorated because of those conditions that North Korea's placed him in, in that prison there.
[Keilar:] All right, Brian Todd, thank you so much for that. Coming up, we have breaking news. Lawyers for Paul Manafort file court papers arguing that the former Trump campaign chairman, who is caught up in the Mueller investigation, is, quote, truly remorseful. They're arguing for a prison term well below sentencing guidelines.