Congress urged to investigate White House links to Andrew and Tristan Tate extradition
The brothers were arrested by US officers in Miami on July 18 after British authorities brought dozens of new charges against them, and announced they would seek extradition.
The additional charges brought the total number of charges against the brothers to 59, British police said.
Now, Rep. Yassamin Ansari of Arizona is urging the House Oversight Committee Chairman to investigate what she described as "potential political interference and improper conduct by the federal government" related to the brothers’ arrest and extradition proceedings.
In her letter to Chairman James Comer, she urged the committee to “investigate whether back-channel communications" between the Tate brothers, presidential advisors, and members of the First Family, could have "influenced official actions or administration policy”.
She also requested records from the Department of Justice and the State Department, including “all communications, cables, internal memoranda, notes and logs of contact” between US, British and Romanian authorities, as well as those between the White House and federal agencies regarding the Tates.
Ms Ansari’s request marks the latest congressional scrutiny surrounding the Tate brothers, whose return to the United States earlier this year prompted questions over the involvement of political influence.
The pair had previously faced criminal investigations in multiple other countries.
The “manosphere” figures were already a politically divisive topic over connections to figures aligned with President Trump, but neither the White House nor the Justice Department has publicly acknowledged any improper involvement in their legal cases.
Another of President Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr., also reportedly met Tate at Trump Tower in 2017.
Former attorney to the president Alina Habba - who briefly served as the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey - has also described herself as a “big fan”, and the brothers were seen at a Washington, D.C. party two days before their arrests as the guests of Paolo Zampolli, who serves in the current administration as a special envoy for global partnerships.
Since the news of their arrest, several of Trump’s allies appear to have distanced themselves from the Tates, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said the Trump administration will not intervene in the Tates’ extradition process.
The Tates’ lawyer, Joseph McBride, has claimed on social media that the brothers are “political prisoners” who have been imprisoned for “daring to exercise their First Amendment Rights".
Among Andrew Tate’s new charges are seven counts of rape, three counts of sex trafficking, three counts of assault and 19 charges related to child and extreme pornography.
Tristan Tate’s new charges include one count of sexual assault, two counts of rape and three sex trafficking counts.
The Crown Prosecution Service said it would seek the Tates’ extradition to the United Kingdom to prosecute the 59 total charges.
Technology & Business Editor
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