Trump Just Hired the Guy He Sent to Free A$AP Rocky as His New National Security Adviser
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President Donald Trump just named a new national security advisor: the same guy he sent to Sweden deal with rapper A$AP Rocky’s assault trial this summer.
“I am pleased to announce that I will name Robert C. O’Brien, currently serving as the very successful Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs at the State Department, as our new National Security Advisor,” Trump wrote on Twitter Wednesday. “I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!”
O’Brien takes over the helm from John Bolton, whom Trump fired last week, although Bolton has repeatedly disputed that he was fired.
O’Brien, a hostage negotiator trained to deal with war-torn countries like Syria and Yemen, was dispatched to Stockholm to #FreeRocky on Trump’s request in early July. Rocky was arrested and detained in June for engaging in a street brawl in the nation’s capital, although the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm repeatedly called for his release.
After Trump tweeted advocating for Rocky's release, O’Brien threatened “negative consequences” via a diplomatic, letter released by the Swidish Prosecution Authority. Rocky was later found guilty of assault in August but avoided any further jail time and returned to the U.S.
Apart from getting involved in the Rocky dispute, O’Brien was previously a representative to the United Nations General Assembly after being nominated by George W. Bush in 2005.
Cover image: Robert C. O'Brien, Special Envoy Ambassador, arrives at the district court in Stockholm, Thursday Aug. 1, 2019. (Fredrik Persson/TT News Agency via AP)
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Emma Ockerman, DMT.NEWS
