No pressure from Trump administration in Andrew Tate case, Romanian prime minister says

Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said that the United States made no request to Romania regarding the legal status of the well-known influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate, both under investigation for human trafficking and sexual abuse.

Ciolacu said that no request was made during the discussion between the Romanian foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu and Richard Grenell nor afterward. He also emphasized that Romania and the US share the same values concerning fundamental rights and freedoms.

"The United States of America has made no request to Romania regarding the legal status of certain well-known foreign influencers under investigation by Romanian authorities. There were no such requests during the discussion between the Foreign Ministry and Richard Grenell, nor afterward," Ciolacu wrote in a post on platform X, after meeting the foreign minister.

According to Financial Times, the Trump administration has been pressuring Romanian authorities to lift travel restrictions on misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate, a supporter of the American president. The British publication reports that the case of the Tate brothers was first raised by US officials last week in a phone call with Romanian government representatives.

The issue was later brought up by Trump’s special envoy, Richard Grenell, during his meeting with the Romanian foreign minister at the Munich Security Conference. Grenell publicly expressed support for the Tate brothers on X, despite the latter facing charges of human trafficking, repeated rape, and forming an organized crime group.

Hurezeanu initially denied to comment on the issue, then confirmed that Grenell had expressed interest in the Tate case - only to say otherwise, following the meeting with the prime minister.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Malina Norocea)