Harry Dunn's Parents Stunned by Trump 'Ambush' at the White House

The parents of a British teenager killed by an American diplomat's wife while she was driving the wrong way in England, were stunned this week after learning President Donald Trump had invited them to the White House to try and set up a meeting between themselves and the accused driver who'd killed their son, Anne Sacoolas.

According to a spokesperson for Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn, the parents of 19-year-old Harry Dunn, Trump dropped a "bombshell" shortly after they met with the president at the White House. In an update posted to a GoFundMe account created by the Dunns, a representative of the family wrote the grieving parents were initially sent an "urgent" invitation from the White House to meet with President Donald Trump from National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien.

"The family had four surprises yesterday. Firstly, being invited to the White House in the first place which came right out of the blue. Secondly, that they were meeting the President himself," Radd Seiger, a spokesperson for the family wrote in the update.

When the Dunns showed up at the White House for their meeting with Trump, Seiger says they learned Sacoolas, who was responsible for the crash that killed their 19-year-old son, was actually in the same building, just one room over.

"Thirdly [they learned] that Mrs Sacoolas was present in the building and fourthly that it was the President’s intention for Harry’s family to meet Mrs Sacoolas in the Oval Office in front of several photographers in what Wass obviously designed to be a press call," Seiger added.

Stunned by the ambush, the Dunns refused to meet with Sacoolas, reiterating that they were committed to a diplomatic solution needed to have one to "happen quickly for the sake of their health."

"It struck us that this meeting was hastily arranged by nincompoops on the run and in particular Mr O’Brien who appeared to be extremely uptight and aggressive and did not come across at all well in this meeting which required careful handling and sensitivity," Seiger wrote.

Harry Dunn, 19, was riding his motorcycle on Aug. 27 when he collided with a Volvo XC90 driving the wrong direction in Coughton, a small city in central England. The driver of the Volvo was identified by police as the wife of a U.S. diplomat, who claimed diplomatic immunity and left the United Kingdom before she could be interviewed about the circumstances surrounding the accident. Sacoolas has not been seen in public since returning to the U.S.

The Dunns did not appear to place any blame on the president for the aborted meeting, with the spokesperson writing that they would prefer to find a "political and diplomatic solution to the issue."

"President Trump hinted at the end of the meeting, having heard Charlotte’s appeal, that he may look at approaching the problem from a different angle. Notwithstanding the nature of the meeting yesterday, the family would welcome any such further intervention so that this nightmare scenario can be brought to an end. They look forward forward to engaging with the President again as soon as possible," Seiger wrote.


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content