Fury at ‘nincompoop’ Trump aide who tried to make tragic Harry’s parents hug runaway wife for TV
DONALD Trump’s security chief was slammed last night for causing “grief and hurt” to the parents of teenager Harry Dunn.
Robert O’Brien was dubbed a “nincompoop” for trying to push Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn into a reconciliation with US diplomat’s wife Anne Sacoolas – who was involved in the car crash that killed their 19-year-old son and then claimed diplomatic immunity.
O’Brien reportedly wanted the parents to drop their demands for justice and hug Mrs Sacoolas in front of TV cameras.
But they insist Mrs Sacoolas, who has admitted driving on the wrong side of the road before the fatal collision with motorcyclist Harry, must return to Britain.
Suspect
Mrs Sacoolas returned to the US after the crash, despite being a suspect.
Family lawyer Mark Stephens, calling national security adviser O’Brien a “nincompoop”, said: “He’s piled additional grief and hurt on the Dunn family that was entirely unnecessary.
“He started it by causing her to be a fugitive from justice, spiriting her out of the country on US Air Force transport without telling police.
“Having ice in your veins is a very good characteristic for being a spy but thinking you can treat human beings in that way, you would have to be a nincompoop.” Yesterday’s twist emerged after the family Harry Dunn, above; parents Charlotte and Tim, right; Trump and O’Brien, below; Anne Sacoolas, below right had a largely positive White House meeting, in which Mr Trump told them: “Let’s try and come at this another way.”
But Mr Dunn, 50, said: “Then he sprung the surprise that Mrs Sacoolas was in another room in the building and whether we’d want to meet her there and then.” Mrs Charles, 44, added: “The bombshell was dropped soon after we walked in the room. Anne Sacoolas was in the building and was willing to meet with us.
“We made it very clear that, as we’ve said all along, we will meet with her and we would still love to meet with her, but it has to be on our terms and on UK soil. We were a bit shocked but it didn’t really make any difference to us, to be perfectly honest.”
Harry was killed after the collision with mother-of-three Mrs Sacoolas near RAF Croughton, Northants, which houses a US intelligence base, nearly eight weeks ago.
President Trump yesterday claimed Prime Minister Boris Johnson had urged him to set up the meeting.
He said: “I offered to bring the person in question in and they weren’t ready for it. I did offer.
“Boris, he asked me if I’d do that and I did it. We had a very good meeting. They are very nice.”