Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there are currently no plans to get involved in the legal fight over the extradition of the Tate brothers to the United Kingdom.
“There’s no role for us to play at this moment, or maybe ever in that regard,” Rubio said.
“I’m not going to opine on something that’s still working through a legal process,” he added.
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Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he has no current plans to get involved in in the legal fight over the Tate brothers' extradition to the U.K. Rubio said he doesn't know the details of the case, noting it is working its way through the courts.
"There's no role for us to play… pic.twitter.com/1miL5fQrI5
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 22, 2026
Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested in Florida on Saturday as British prosecutors announced new charges against the brothers and sought their extradition.
“Today, U.S. Marshals in the Southern District of Florida arrested Andrew and Tristan Tate pursuant to extradition proceedings,” a Justice Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
“These arrests were made in accordance with the treaties and law enforcement agreements governing Justice Department extraditions,” the spokesperson added.
Axios shared further:
U.S. marshals arrested the Tates in Miami on Saturday after British authorities issued 38 new sex-crime charges against the brothers, bringing the total combined counts against them to 59.
They also were indicted on separate sex-crime charges in Romania in 2023.
In court filings, the Justice Department made clear that Rubio has "sole discretion" to block their extradition to the U.K. if he believes the brothers are being politically persecuted.
On Monday, Tate attorney Joe McBride told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Miami that the charges against the two are "politically motivated. There's no question about it."
McBride said the brothers are innocent and will fight extradition.
A senior State Department official told Axios that "the secretary has not spoken to the Tate Brothers or their lawyers. The State Department has no plans to act on this matter at this time."
Those who know Rubio's thinking say the secretary, a conservative Catholic who fought as a U.S. senator for stronger human trafficking laws and protections for victims, isn't inclined to help the Tates.
"Marco thinks these guys are scum," said one source. "Now if the president overrules him, which I don't think is likely, he's got a problem."
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McBride accused the mainstream media of conjuring "controversy" by telling Rubio one of the Tate brothers' attorneys mentioned him by name.
"We are litigating extradition in Florida’s Southern District. We are confident we can win in court on the merits. We need to let the judicial process play out," McBride said.
Look at how the MSM tries to conjure controversy.
Today they told Secretary Rubio: “A lawyer for the Tate Brothers (@McBrideLawNYC) mentioned you by name.”
Clearly insinuating that I name dropped him.
What actually happened 2 days ago:
MSM: Do you think Marco Rubio will get… pic.twitter.com/afaVdgfx6j
— Joe McBride (@McBrideLawNYC) July 22, 2026
"The U.S. has an extradition treaty with the U.K. and the administration intends to honor it in this case," a senior administration official told Axios.
Sky News has more:
Ahead of the pair's preliminary court hearing on Monday, Mr McBride had sought to pitch the case as a prosecution of free speech, with the Tates "being punished and attacked for what they say, not what they've done".
Referring to the administration and specifically to Mr Rubio, he said: "They're not fans of prosecuting people for free speech. This is one of the reasons why they've been elected.
"So I would just think, as a matter of principle, based on the reasons why they were elected, that they would not want to see two free citizens go to a country where they're going to be thrown in jail for political reasons."
Andrew, 39, has been charged with seven further counts of rape and several trafficking and assault offences, while Tristan, 38, is charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault as well as trafficking offences.
Andrew has also been charged with offences "relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography".
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had identified four additional alleged victims. It said the 38 additional charges, in addition to 21 existing charges, relate to alleged offences between July 2010 and August 2017.
ADVERTISEMENTThe brothers have previously denied allegations of sexual abuse and trafficking, claiming that violent and misogynistic statements have been taken out of context or were intended as jokes.
