Tate brothers deported as Florida braces for legal showdown
Brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate are reportedly on their way to Florida, Romanian media reported on Thursday. "Florida is not a place where you're welcome with that type of conduct," stated the state governor, Ron DeSantis. He admitted at the same time that he learned about the Tate brothers' case from the media.
The Romanian prosecutor's office announced on Thursday that it approved the request of Andrew Tate, an American influencer facing charges of human trafficking, to leave the country. Local media reported that Tate and his brother Tristan flew to the U.S. on a private plane.
Also on Thursday, state governor Ron DeSantis addressed the issue. "Florida is not a place where you're welcome with that type of conduct," he said. The Republican also noted that the state prosecutor is looking into legal options to deal with the matter.
DeSantis also admitted that he learned about the entire issue from the media. "I don’t know how it came to this. We were not involved, we were not notified. I found out through the media that this was something that was happening," he stated outright.
The governor's statement received a reaction from the brothers' lawyers, who called for his resignation. "Ron DeSantis should step down as Florida's governor if he has a problem with welcoming or protecting American Citizens," stated the representative of Andrew and Tristan Tate.
Charges related to human trafficking
The Tate brothers are icons of the so-called manosphere, online platforms targeted at young men, promoting mysogynistic content. A high-profile trial against them has been ongoing in Romania for two years. The brothers are accused of human trafficking and involvement in an organized crime group.
Until now, they were under police supervision and could not leave Romania; previously, they were under house arrest.
In mid-February, the British newspaper "Financial Times" reported that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump was pressuring Romanian authorities to return the brothers' passports and allow them to leave the country. According to three sources from the British newspaper, the new administration first raised the issue with representatives of the Romanian government in early February during a phone conversation. The matter was then discussed by Trump's special envoy Richard Grenell with Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC).
