Biden’s first wife and daughter were killed in a car crash in 1972, a personal tragedy that the president has spoken often about in his political life.
Johnson told BBC that “there are limits to what the executive can do with the legal, with the judiciary and the legal system.” Johnson’s comments were reported as Biden, Johnson and other world leaders were set to meet Friday for the G-7 summit.
Harry Dunn, 19, was killed after Sacoolas was driving on the wrong side of the road in August 2019 and hit him with her car. Under former President Donald Trump in January 2020, the U.S. rejected the U.K.’s calls to extradite Sacoolas to face the charges of causing death by dangerous driving.
Johnson had called on Trump to change the U.S. government’s stance on Sacoolas. Dunn’s parents accused Trump of trying to force them to meet with Sacoolas in the White House.
On Friday, a National Security Council spokesperson called the incident a “tragic accident” in a statement to POLITICO.
“We again offer our sincere condolences and sympathy to the Dunn family for the loss of their son. This was a tragic accident,” the spokesperson said, declining to comment beyond the statement. “Since the tragic accident occurred, the United States has been closely engaged with the UK government, and we have been transparent about our positions on legal and diplomatic matters concerning this accident.”
Interpol issued a Red Notice for Sacoolas in May 2020, a notice issued “for fugitives wanted either for prosecution or to serve a sentence.”
