The White House Intervened on Behalf of Accused Sex Trafficker Andrew Tate During a Federal Investigation

Source: ProPublica

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This time, they had a powerful ally come to their aid. Behind the scenes, the White House intervened on their behalf.

Interviews and records reviewed by ProPublica show a White House official told senior Department of Homeland Security officials to return the devices to the brothers several days after they were seized. The official who delivered the message, Paul Ingrassia, is a lawyer who previously represented the Tate brothers before joining the White House, where he was working as its DHS liaison.

In his written request, a copy of which was reviewed by ProPublica, Ingrassia chided authorities for taking the action, saying the seizure of the Tates’ devices was not a good use of time or resources. The request to return the electronics to the Tates, he emphasized, was coming from the White House.

The incident is the latest in a string of law enforcement matters where the Trump White House has inserted itself to help friends and target foes. Since entering office for a second term, Trump has urged the Justice Department to go after elected officials who investigated him and his businesses, and he pardoned a string of political allies. Andrew Tate is one of the most prominent members of the so-called manosphere, a collection of influencers, podcasters and content creators who helped deliver young male voters to Trump. And news of the White House intervention on behalf of the accused sex traffickers comes as Trump is under fire over his ties to notorious child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his administration’s recent efforts to stop the public release of the so-called Epstein files.

Read more: https://www.propublica.org/article/andrew-tate-investigation-dhs-paul-ingrassia

SCOOP: Paul Ingrassia, a lawyer who previously represented the Tate brothers before joining the White House, chided authorities for seizing the brothers’ devices, saying it was not a good use of time or resources. He told DHS officials to give them back.

— Charles Ornstein (@charlesornstein.bsky.social) 2025-11-18T12:25:14.485Z