Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) slammed President Donald Trump on Thursday after his administration reportedly pressured Romanian authorities to release influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, dual British-U.S. citizens who were charged with human trafficking in Romania.
Moskowitz — in an appearance on “CNN NewsNight” — joked that he was “fortunate” to have “new constituents” in his district after Andrew Tate, a self-described misogynist known in the right-wing “manosphere,” and his brother landed in Florida following Romanian authorities lifting their travel restrictions.
“Look, we heard from Trump on the campaign trail, right, other countries were sending rapists, people from insane asylums, human traffickers. These guys literally are those people,” Moskowitz told host Abby Phillip.
Trump notably launched his 2016 campaign by claiming immigrants from Mexico were “bringing drugs” and that “they’re rapists” — claims he’d build on with his anti-immigration rhetoric in subsequent years.
As recently as Wednesday, the Trump administration ripped Michael Moore’s criticism of mass deportations by claiming that he was going to bat for “cold-blooded criminals” from other countries.
“The Trump Administration will remain focused on putting our own citizens first by mass deporting illegal migrant rapists, murderers, and other criminals out of American communities,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai said in a press release.
The Tate brothers, both supporters of the president, were arrested in 2022 for allegedly forming a criminal group to sexually exploit women. Andrew Tate was charged with rape, as well. Both brothers deny the allegations.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — in response to the brothers arriving in his state — told reporters that “Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” adding that he wasn’t “involved” or “notified” on the brothers’ flight to Florida.
Moskowitz, who formerly worked under DeSantis as the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said the governor “means” what he said at the press conference.