On Monday, Axios reported that outgoing President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser, Robert O'Brien, is taking his wife on a tour of Europe — despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and in the face of all public health recommendations.
"The White House announced the Paris stop shortly after an inquiry from Axios, but the entirety of the trip — which also includes stops in Tel Aviv, Rome and London — is causing consternation among O'Brien's hosts and questions about the need for his wife to tag along," reported Glen Johnson. "The White House announced Sunday that O'Brien would be traveling to Paris on Monday to lead a U.S. delegation to the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Convention. The release did not detail that O'Brien's wife, Lo-Mari, would be joining him."
According to the report, O'Brien is also trying to arrange for he and his wife to have a private tour of the Louvre — even though the famous art museum is shut down to the general public as a pandemic precaution.
"The average American currently is banned from traveling to France. Those already there are supposed to leave their homes only for work or grocery shopping," said the report. "On Tuesday, the day O'Brien leaves Paris, the country begins an 8 p.m. curfew."