Overview
- ProPublica reports that Paul Ingrassia, serving as the White House liaison to DHS, sent a written request telling senior officials to return Andrew and Tristan Tate’s electronics seized in Fort Lauderdale.
- DHS personnel expressed alarm that granting the request could interfere with an investigation, and a retired Homeland Security Investigations leader called such White House involvement highly unusual.
- CBP detained the devices and HSI examined them; the brothers have not had the electronics returned, and the status of any federal review of their contents remains unclear.
- Ingrassia and his attorney dispute the account, saying there was no intervention, while the Tates’ lawyer calls the story a nothingburger and notes the devices are still being held.
- Ingrassia previously represented the Tates and withdrew from consideration to lead the Office of Special Counsel after racist texts surfaced; he now serves as deputy general counsel at the General Services Administration.