The White House has stepped in to shield its former client, Andrew Tate, a self-proclaimed misogynist who faces allegations of sex trafficking women across three countries. In February, the Tate brothers' devices were seized by Customs and Border Protection officials upon their arrival at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. However, in an unusual move, White House official Paul Ingrassia intervened on behalf of the Tates, urging senior Department of Homeland Security officials to return the devices.
According to interviews and records reviewed by ProPublica, Ingrassia, who previously represented Tate before joining the White House as its DHS liaison, requested that authorities give up custody of the seized devices. The official's written request was made several days after the seizure and contained a tone that chided authorities for taking action, labeling it an "unproductive use of time or resources."
The move has sparked alarm among DHS officials who expressed concerns that they could be interfering with a federal investigation by following through with Ingrassia's request. One official described the intervention as "brazen" and stated that they were "disgusted" by the expectation of complicity.
Law enforcement experts say it is highly unusual for the White House to get involved in border seizures or demand that authorities return devices in an investigation, suggesting a potential intimidation tactic. The incident has raised concerns about the politicization of law enforcement under the Trump administration and whether officials are being pressured into favorable outcomes for their allies.
Tate, who has millions of young male followers online, denies any wrongdoing but faces multiple investigations across several countries due to allegations of sex trafficking women. Despite facing numerous charges, including rape and human trafficking in Britain and Romania, Tate claims he is "one of the most innocent people on the planet" and accuses law enforcement officials of violating his rights.
This intervention highlights a pattern of White House involvement in favoring its allies while potentially undermining investigations into wrongdoing. The incident has sparked debate about ethics and impartiality among government officials and raises questions about the extent to which the Trump administration is using its power to shield high-profile figures like Tate from accountability.
Ingrassia, who also represented Tate's brother before joining the White House, has denied trying to help them. However, his previous work representing the Tates for McBride's firm and social media posts praising Andrew Tate have fueled concerns about potential cronyism.
According to interviews and records reviewed by ProPublica, Ingrassia, who previously represented Tate before joining the White House as its DHS liaison, requested that authorities give up custody of the seized devices. The official's written request was made several days after the seizure and contained a tone that chided authorities for taking action, labeling it an "unproductive use of time or resources."
The move has sparked alarm among DHS officials who expressed concerns that they could be interfering with a federal investigation by following through with Ingrassia's request. One official described the intervention as "brazen" and stated that they were "disgusted" by the expectation of complicity.
Law enforcement experts say it is highly unusual for the White House to get involved in border seizures or demand that authorities return devices in an investigation, suggesting a potential intimidation tactic. The incident has raised concerns about the politicization of law enforcement under the Trump administration and whether officials are being pressured into favorable outcomes for their allies.
Tate, who has millions of young male followers online, denies any wrongdoing but faces multiple investigations across several countries due to allegations of sex trafficking women. Despite facing numerous charges, including rape and human trafficking in Britain and Romania, Tate claims he is "one of the most innocent people on the planet" and accuses law enforcement officials of violating his rights.
This intervention highlights a pattern of White House involvement in favoring its allies while potentially undermining investigations into wrongdoing. The incident has sparked debate about ethics and impartiality among government officials and raises questions about the extent to which the Trump administration is using its power to shield high-profile figures like Tate from accountability.
Ingrassia, who also represented Tate's brother before joining the White House, has denied trying to help them. However, his previous work representing the Tates for McBride's firm and social media posts praising Andrew Tate have fueled concerns about potential cronyism.
This is getting weird 
. White House stepping in to shield a known misogynist from law enforcement? That's not right. It's like they're trying to sweep the issue under the rug 
. I mean, what's next? Them shielding their own allies from accountability too? 
This whole thing reeks of cronyism and favoritism... It's like, where do we draw the line between being a friend to someone and letting them get away with crimes? 
The fact that Ingrassia was involved in representing Andrew Tate before joining the White House is super sketchy 
. And now they're saying it was all innocent? Come on... 
it sounds like they're trying to intimidate law enforcement into covering up for their friend. i mean, who gets special treatment because they have a big online following? 
and what's with paul ingrassia being so brazen about it? 
he's basically saying "you can't investigate me/Andrew Tate?" 
that's not how the system is supposed to work. law enforcement officials should be able to do their jobs without being pressured by someone in power. 
. It looks like they're more concerned with shielding their allies than letting the law do its thing 
. I mean, if someone's being accused of sex trafficking, shouldn't we be focusing on getting to the truth rather than covering each other's backs? 
This whole thing just reeks of cronyism and politicization 
.
The fact that DHS officials are "disgusted" by his request says a lot about the tone they're being forced to adopt 
. It's not like Tate hasn't been accused of some serious crimes – rape and human trafficking are no joke 
. We need to keep pushing for accountability, not just shielding our favorite celebrities from the law 
.
. Is it because Tate has friends in high places? Or is it just a general attitude of not wanting to rock the boat?
. Can't we just focus on letting investigations run their course without interference? 
but instead they're just shielding their buddies 
and it looks like a total conflict of interest 
paul inggrassia's "help" could've been an attempt to intimidate dhs officials into backing down 
. And to make things worse, the White House is intervening on their behalf? That's just not right. It looks like they're trying to protect a friend or something, and it's gonna lead to more problems down the line 
. I mean, isn't it supposed to be the job of law enforcement to figure out if someone's guilty or not? 
I'm low-key worried about the politicization of law enforcement and the potential for cronyism. We need transparency, not cover-ups! 
When will accountability prevail over all that tea and politics? 
The Tates' history is a major red flag, imo... Can't we just focus on the facts and let justice be served? 
. I get that everyone deserves due process, but if you're a high-profile figure with millions of followers online, shouldn't they be held to a higher standard? 
.