MIAMI (AP) — Attorneys for social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate argued Friday that the brothers' high-profile, public lives and other factors constitute special circumstances for their release as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom, where the brothers are accused of rape and sex trafficking.
The defense attorneys filed a motion for release in Miami federal court, where a judge will next week determine if the brothers should stay in jail or be released during what could be a monthslong extradition process.
The brothers have repeatedly denied wrongdoing. Prosecutors must file a response to the motion by Monday.
The detention hearing is likely to be the first time the Tates leave the Federal Detention Center in Miami since making a brief court appearance two days after their July 18 arrest. The Tates have become among the world’s most polarizing internet personalities with their promotion of wealth, male dominance and misogyny through their social media empire. The new allegations are the latest in the Tates' long-running international legal saga spanning the U.S., Britain and Romania.
The defense motion acknowledges there is a presumption against bond in extradition proceedings but argues that release can be granted in special circumstances. It says the Tates’ high profile makes it nearly impossible for them to flee, and that they regularly post updates about their locations on social media.
Prosecutors call the brothers a flight risk but their attorneys said they have proved they are not, by complying with all pretrial restrictions in Romania, where they are accused of luring women for sexual exploitation.
“Every prediction the government now asks this Court to make about the brothers’ future conduct — that they will flee if released — has already been made and answered by three years of data showing that they do not flee,” the motion says.
The U.K. has until mid-September to provide evidence to the State Department to support extradition, meaning the brothers could spend months in FDC Miami before the proceedings are resolved, the motion says. No date has been set for an extradition hearing. They are being held in a special unit for their own protection.
“The Tates have limited contact with their families, no television, no radio, and no commissary access,” the motion says. “They sleep without pillows, on bunks shorter than they are tall.”
It says holding a detainee who hasn't been convicted of a crime under such conditions violates due process.
The brothers have long claimed that their violent and misogynistic statements have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes.
The former professional kickboxers, who have dual U.S. and U.K. citizenship, have millions of social media followers and are vocal supporters of President Donald Trump. The White House has said the brothers shouldn't expect any help from the president.
British prosecutors said the new charges relate to four new accusers and were brought after authorities received evidence from police in Bedfordshire, in southeastern England. The allegations, which span from 2010 to 2017, include rape, assault, trafficking and offenses relating to “indecent images of a child and extreme pornography.”
The brothers are already charged with rape, bodily harm, human trafficking and controlling prostitution for gain relating to three other accusers in the U.K. between 2012 and 2015.
The brothers moved to Romania in 2016 and were arrested there in 2022, accused of participating in schemes to lure women for sexual exploitation. They denied those allegations, and the Romanian case hasn't moved forward due to legal and procedural problems.
The Tates' attorneys have said the Romanian court has granted a U.K. request for extradition that will take effect after Romanian proceedings conclude.
“What the United Kingdom seeks now is to shop for a second forum and a second judge in order to jump ahead of the Romanian proceedings and bypass the Romanian order that deferred surrender of the brothers,” the motion said. “The Court should decline and release the brothers on conditions.”
Andrew Tate, 39, became famous a decade ago when he was a contestant on the U.K. reality television show “Big Brother.” He was ejected from the show when a video appeared to show him assaulting a woman.
He has amassed over 10 million followers on X but has been banned from other platforms, including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, for violating hate speech guidelines. He has made widely condemned comments, such as saying women who are sexually assaulted should bear some responsibility for the attacks and sharing graphic descriptions of how he might attack women.
Tristan Tate, 38, has worked with his brother on multiple businesses, including the production of online webcam pornography.
Attorney Joseph McBride, right, representing Andrew and Tristan Tate after they were arrested to face rape and sex trafficking charges against them in the United Kingdom, arrives at the C. Clyde Atkins U.S. Courthouse for a hearing, Monday, July 27, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said on Friday that he will back Todd Blanche's nomination as attorney general, likely paving the way for Blanche's confirmation to lead President Donald Trump's Justice Department.
The Louisiana senator announced his support on the Senate floor after Blanche's confirmation was thrown into doubt over opposition from two other Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.
Cassidy said Blanche “is not perfect," citing concerns over a proposed $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies, a tax audit immunity deal for the Republican president and investigations targeting the president's political opponents.
But Cassidy said no other nominee may be able to run the department better under Trump, and he added that Blanche's role as Trump's former criminal defense lawyer can make him more effective at pushing back on the president's demands.
“This is not a referendum on President Trump. It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances," Cassidy said. Cassidy, who lost his Republican primary after Trump endorsed his rival, appeared to choke up as he described the criticism he expected to face for his Blanche vote, adding: “What’s new?”
Blanche would become Trump’s second confirmed attorney general since the president returned to the White House last year with a stated desire to use the law enforcement agency to investigate his perceived enemies. He has been serving as acting attorney general since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April after she failed to deliver on criminal cases against Trump's foes.
Blanche's path to confirmation has been complicated over a settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service that has drawn intense scrutiny by Republicans and Democrats alike. The settlement called for the creation of the $1.8 billion fund to compensate people who feel mistreated by the criminal justice system and provided Trump and family members with immunity from tax audits.
Murkowski, in announcing her opposition to Blanche, cited concerns over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, the sweeping tax audit immunity deal and the proposed “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” The Alaska senator said she is worried the Trump administration could proceed with the fund despite the administration's promises that it is dead, noting that the Senate has leverage over the fund only because Blanche’s nomination is pending.
“The country needs an Attorney General who will check the worst impulses of this administration," Murkowski said. “I hope Mr. Blanche is able to achieve that, if confirmed, but I simply do not have confidence that will be the case.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced Blanche's nomination only after a deal reached last weekend with two other Republican senators — John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — who had been threatening to block his confirmation over aspects of the settlement.
Under the deal, Blanche formally rescinded the “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” writing in an order that “there is no Fund.”
The Justice Department also clarified in writing that the tax audit immunity agreement applies only to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect Trump from examination of future tax filings. It also makes clear that only the parties that brought the lawsuit — Trump, two of his sons and the Trump Organization — are covered by the tax agreement.
But Democrats say Blanche's order doesn't stop the Trump administration from reviving the fund after his confirmation and have called for legislation to permanently bar it. Trump has repeatedly defended the fund and has threatened to push forward with it if Republicans don't support Blanche's nomination.
Lawmakers and legal experts have also questioned the lawfulness of the tax protections for Trump. A federal judge who oversaw the IRS case has described Trump’s lawsuit as an improper exercise in self-dealing, and on Thursday the union representing IRS workers asked another judge to block the immunity agreement.
Democrats have accused Blanche of prioritizing his loyalty to Trump above all else through investigations against Trump foes such as former FBI Director James Comey and a radical reshaping of a department that historically prided itself on its independence from the White House. Under Bondi and Blanche’s leadership, the department has lost thousands of employees through firings, resignations or voluntary departures.
Blanche’s supporters say his experience as a federal prosecutor and the trust he earned from Trump in the courtroom makes him better equipped than Bondi to explain to the White House the legal constraints of its demands. Republicans have also touted his efforts to bring down violent crime, tackle illegal immigration and combat violent cartels and drug trafficking.
Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said it would be a “serious mistake” to confirm Blanche, begging his colleagues not to be on the “wrong side” of history.
“If there is ever a moment in history when we need an attorney general above reproach, who is clearly dedicated to ending corruption, even at the highest level of our government, it’s right now,” Durbin said.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., attends a Congressional tribute to late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Washington. (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)
FILE - Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pauses outside the chamber to answer a question from a reporter at the Capitol in Washington, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, arrives for a closed-door Republican meeting, at the Capitol in Washington, June 27, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, speaks during a hearing of the Homeland Security subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Appropriations on Capitol Hill, April 10, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, right, is joined by Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Ambassador Michael C. Gonzales, left, during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Wednesday, August 5, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaksa, talks with Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., at the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
