How Trump special envoy's move to bring Tate brothers to US caught president unaware

New York Post

2 days ago

WASHINGTON — White House special envoy Ric Grenell caught President Trump off-guard when he advocated for the notorious Tate brothers to travel to Florida while awaiting trial in Romania earlier this year, leaving administration insiders frustrated and questioning Grenell's motives.
In mid-February, Grenell, 58, approached Romanian Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference and convinced him to release accused sex traffickers Andrew and Tristan Tate into US custody as they await trial on charges including rape and human trafficking in eastern Europe — without notifying anyone else in the administration, according to multiple sources and Hurezeanu's own admission.
'We learned about the Tate brothers after the fact,' a high-ranking White House source told The Post last week.
Advertisement
Grenell's actions — both in the matter of the Tates and in other delicate situations — exemplify the problems raised by special envoys, who play roles similar to ambassadors and assistant secretaries of state but often do so without the obligation to obey a formal chain of command and while carrying added responsibility as the president's personal representative.
'This was yet another example of Grenell going outside the chain of command to pursue his own goals, rather than the president's,' a source close the the White House familiar with discussions told The Post.
3 President Trump (right) walks with special envoy and interim Kennedy Center executive director Ric Grenell March 17.
AP
Advertisement
On Feb. 27, 11 days after the Munich conference wrapped, the Tates, who were born in the US, touched down in Fort Lauderdale on a private jet.
The same day, Trump hosted British Prime Minister Kier Starmer and was asked whether the president's administration had 'pressured' Romania to hand over the accused sexual predators.
'I don't know. You're saying he's on a plane right now?' a visibly confused Trump asked. 'I just know nothing about it. We'll check it out, we'll let you know.'
Shortly after, when Starmer spoke about the brothers facing investigation in the United Kingdom, the president said to him, perplexed: 'You're aware? You're aware of this? I didn't know anything about it.'
Risky game
Advertisement
While much of the media scorned Trump's comments, White House officials confirmed the president's surprise and bewilderment — and rounded on Grenell for putting the commander in chief in a tight spot.
'President Trump is on recording saying he know nothing about the Tate brothers' flight to Florida, so why did Ric Grenell even raise the issue with a Romanian official?' a source close the the White House familiar with discussions told The Post.
3 Andrew Tate, left, and his brother Tristan outside a Romanian police station May 21.
AP
The Tates' release caused bipartisan blowback — with big GOP names like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) as well as conservative media personalities Ben Shapiro and Megyn Kelly speaking out against the White House.
Advertisement
It also sparked a congressional inquiry by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who penned a letter asking the State Department to what extent the US government was involved in Romanian officials' decision to release the brothers.
Almost immediately after the letter — which cc'd Grenell — was sent to the State Department, the envoy called to 'berate' a Raskin staffer, saying 'you're going to ruin my reputation,' according to a person familiar with the conversation. The interaction was first reported in early April by NOTUS.
'The State Department has failed to answer the Committee's questions and address our concerns,' the person said. 'All we have received was a short, non-substantive response from the State Department more than a month after the letter was sent.'
While the blowback over the release has died down, the question that has puzzled Grenell's critics remains: Why risk the administration's credibility on Andrew and Tristan Tate?
Grenell, a former ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence, has been open about his support for the Tate brothers, whose followers among the far-right include longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone and Paul Ingrassia, the newly appointed head of the Office of Special Counsel.
Andrew Tate has similarly expressed support for Grenell, tweeting the day before his release from Romania that the envoy is helping Trump 'sav(e) America along with the entire western world by extension.'
Grenell also has extensive experience in eastern and southeastern Europe, dating back to at least his role facilitating peace talks between Serbia and Kosovo during Trump's first term.
'Was this motivated by a personal, political or business interest, or is he just a Tate Brothers fanboy?' asked a former friend of Grenell's. 'Either is a massive red flag.'
Advertisement
In a comment to the Financial Times in February, Grenell acknowledged his support for the Tates, 'as evident by my publicly available tweets'
But he has since scrubbed all posts about the brothers, including a retweet of Stone crediting Grenell for 'securing the release of the Tates.'
However, a Grenell associate says he kept up ties with the Tates even after their return, sitting ringside when the brothers made an appearance at the UFC 313 card in Las Vegas on March 8.
'Not Ric's job to make sure State knows'
Since the Tate fiasco, Grenell has continued to ruffle feathers in his various roles, sounding a rare discordant note in an administration whose key players seem to be mainly on the same page.
Advertisement
'It's like Festivus inside the White House, and the airing of the grievances is heavy on Grenell,' said one source close to President Trump, referencing an episode of the classic sitcom 'Seinfeld.'
Last month, Grenell — in an apparent attempt to apply lessons from the Tate incident — briefly mentioned to Trump that he had reached a deal with Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro to return an American detainee, but left key White House and State Department officials without any clue of his foreign dealings, according to senior administration officials.
'State Department was intentionally left in the dark, as was Rubio,' confirmed Tactic Global lobbyist Caroline Wren, who told The Post she helps Grenell with his public relations and worked on the Venezuela initiative with him.
'It's not Ric's job to make sure State knows.'
Advertisement
3 Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro speaks to Iranian officials in Caracas last month.
via REUTERS
Wren did not elaborate on why the department was left out of the loop, but Grenell had asked Maduro to free Air Force veteran Joe St. Clair as a sign that the dictator was willing to work with the Trump administration, multiple sources say.
In return, Grenell suggested to Maduro that Trump would extend Chevron's license to import Venezuelan oil — but that was news to the administration, which has consistently supported the president's desire to expire the license May 27, according to senior officials.
Some far-right influencers — such as firebrand Laura Loomer and many of Grenell's closest associates, including Wren — say the license should be extended to block China from cornering the Venezuelan oil market.
Advertisement
When The Post contacted Grenell May 15 to ask whether he was holding discussions with Caracas about extending the Chevron license, Grenell directed another lobbyist — former Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) — to contact The Post to push the China angle.
Schock, who according to Wren also helps Grenell with PR, also consults for South Florida oil magnate Harry Sargeant, whose license to operate his oil-trading company in Venezuela was canceled by Trump's anti-Maduro policy, a former friend of Sargeant's told The Post.
Schock did not reply to a request for comment on his association with Sargeant, whom Wren called a 'good friend' she 'talks to all the time.'
Sargeant, however, denied that Schock or Grenell were advocating on his behalf.
On a more ominous note, law enforcement sources say Grenell's deal with Maduro to return a single detainee could encourage Caracas officials to direct the Tren de Aragua cartel to kidnap more Americans for use as bargaining chips to reduce US sanctions.
The FBI has said that the Venezuelan dictator controls the brutal cartel recently listed as a foreign terrorist organization.
The same day the Chevron oil license expired, the State Department issued a stark travel warning to Americans, urging them not to visit Venezuela due to risk of wrongful detention, torture, kidnapping and crime.
Closer to home, Grenell — who is also president and interim executive director of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — caused another firestorm when he dismissed center vice president Floyd Brown May 28 after Brown refused to disown comments promoting 'traditional marriage' and criticizing the influence of gay staffers in the Republican party.
'The only explanation is the one given to me at the time of my firing: 'Floyd, you must recant your belief in traditional marriage and your past statements on the topic, or you will be fired,'' Brown posted to X May 29. 'Needless to say, I refused to recant and was shown the door. My beliefs are much more common to Biblical Christianity.'
As multiple sources pointed out, the firing appeared to run counter to Trump's main reason for appointing Grenell, who is openly gay, in the first place: To rid the DC venue of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies.
'From being rebuked on the Chevron license, to his connection to the Tate Brothers, to allegations of firing a Kennedy staffer over Christian beliefs, Ric Grenell keeps finding new and creative ways to embarrass himself and those around him,' a source close the the White House familiar with the situation said.
The State Department, Romanian Foreign Ministry, Schock, Grenell and an attorney for the Tates did not respond to requests for comment.