ALINA HABBA to UK Shadow Justice Secretary: “I DON’T CARE IF THAT PISSES YOU OFF”
Habba defends her support of Andrew Tate, denies she helped the Tate brothers escape justice in Romanian and UK courts
Denying reports that the White House helped the Tate brothers avoid justice in Romania, Alina Habba doubled down on her recent comments supporting accused rapist and sex trafficker Andrew Tate.
Tate and his brother Tristan, who hold dual U.S./UK citizenship, are under investigation in Romania and the UK for rape, child rape, trafficking of minors, money laundering and other offenses. Courts in both countries consider the two men to be flight risks, and a recent bombshell filing in U.S. court bolsters support for the alleged victims’ accusations.
On Thursday, Piers Morgan asked Trump’s counselor to respond to reports in the European news media that the Tates had their travel restrictions lifted by Romanian authorities “as a direct result of pressure — or just guidance, or a request for help” — from the Trump White House.
“I’m not involved in that,” Habba told Morgan. “I read it, just like you did, I saw that they lifted the restrictions on travel. These are not individuals that can exactly hide. I understand that there’s also some restrictions on them. Even though they have lifted the ban on their travel, they still need to check in, they still need to report. As anybody does under an investigation. What I can say is, look, this is an investigation, I’m not a party to the investigation, I don’t condone — if it comes out to be true — anything other than being held accountable.”
Habba held up her experience representing President Trump in E. Jean Carroll’s defamation suit involving allegations of rape. She argued that Trump was a political target, and she pointed to perceived similarities between his case and the Tates’ situation.
“I also know there is targeting that exists, in these worlds, and I’ve been right there with President Trump while he was the victim of that. … I do not support targeting. And, uh, political attacks. I don’t support that, I never will. I’m an American, and that’s a lot of what we have to correct, right now, in our own justice system.”
Morgan showed a recent clip from The Benny Show, when Habba and Andrew Tate were both guests. “I’m a big fan,” Habba greeted Tate. “I think that your anger is the same that President Trump has, for our country. And the time is now for us to stop being wimps.”
The Benny Show
(In part of the January 10 Benny Show segment not shown by Piers Morgan, Habba told Tate: “I sympathize with you, because I think you go through a lot of the same ‘show-me-the-person-I’ll-find-the-crime’ that President Trump has gone through. … I agree with everything you say. … I admire you, I admire what you’re doing, I’m right there with you. And yeah, you’re good. If you’re in the States, I’ve got your back. … I’ve been watching, and it’s very clear what the problem is. You have a strong voice, you have a lot of followers, you are much like President Trump in that way. You have influence. And when people have influence, they have to fight harder. And unfortunately, you are a victim of that, I see it. … It’s a disgrace, what they’re doing.”)
Morgan next showed a clip from commentator Ben Shapiro reacting to Habba’s effusive praise of Tate. “[What] Alina Habba is saying there is not actually true, about Andrew Tate,” Shapiro said. “He is not of the same ilk as President Trump: ‘find me the person and I’ll find you the crime.’ That is true of President Trump, that is not particularly true of Andrew Tate.”
Shapiro criticized Habba for confusing the lawfare against President Trump, with its obvious political motives and strategic timing, with the criminal investigations into the Tate brothers’ human trafficking and rape allegations, in which there are over 30 identified victims. “I think the way some people are defending Andrew Tate, today, is a conflation of a couple of different ideas,” Shapiro said. “I think there’s a big difference between having people on — have whoever you want on. That’s totally fine, free speech, and all the rest. And cheering on bad people who don’t actually care about your principles. And Andrew Tate is the latter.”
In response to Shapiro’s comments, Habba went on the offensive against what she called the misplaced anger of “all the Twitter trolls and keyboard warriors.”
“You know,” she waffled, “here’s the situation, Piers. You can say that somebody has issues, people have issues, I don’t know, I’m not the lawyer, and I wasn’t speaking to that. What I appreciate is people that fight a fight. I appreciate all walks of life. I do not condone trafficking, rape, or some of the comments that Andrew Tate has made.”
Habba denied conflating the U.S. courts’ weaponization against Trump with unsupported claims of political motives for the criminal investigations into the Tates in the UK and Romania. She hinted that her support of Andrew Tate was perhaps motivated by being starstruck by his status as a popular influencer. “Listen,” she said, “he is a social media presence. There are a lot of people that watch them. There are a lot of comments that aren’t controversial.”
“So, to go to Ben Shapiro’s comment, I don’t think it’s conflating. I think you can parse things out. If you look at the claims against President Trump, which were completely nonsense — and I don’t know about the Tate brothers’ cases, that’s not my concern. That does not mean they’re true. That also does not mean they’re not — you don’t know. But in my case, I have sat through this, where I know enough to know, you do not impose judgment on somebody until they have had a fair trial.”
In further defense of her support of Tate, Habba pivoted to a defense of free speech. “And more importantly, if anyone wants to deny the fact that they have a very strong social media presence, then, feel free to attack me. But I don’t really care, frankly. Because there is something called free speech. … I don’t condone some of the things that he … is currently under investigation for. But I also recognize fully that we have broken systems in many countries. … You are allowed to speak for yourself, you are allowed to speak freely. … And maybe [the Tate brothers’] authentic [voice] doesn’t suit you, and you don’t like things, and there are things they say that I don’t like a hundred percent. But to put blanket things, and to try and attack somebody who appreciates, uh, a good fight? That’s just silliness and it’s misplaced anger, frankly.”
Piers Morgan Uncensored
Morgan pressed Habba over whether the Benny Show interview last month, in light of the Tates “suddenly being allowed to fly to America,” is causing people to put “two and two together, and potentially getting four,” concerning whether White House sympathy for the Tates’ plight has enabled them to fly to America.
“And the response from the British politicians,” Morgan observed, “led by a conservative who ran, actually, to become leader of the conservative party, and actually came second, Robert Jenrick — who normally is a big supporter of all things Trump and your White House, said: ‘This was predicted.’ He’s the shadow secretary of state for justice. ‘This was predicted, it should never have been allowed to happen. The U.S. needs to step up, we have an extradition treaty with them. They need to cooperate fully. The Tate brothers stand accused of rape and human trafficking in the UK and must face our justice system.’ Which goes to the point that it’s not just Romania where they’ve been facing these charges, but also in the UK. What would your response be to Robert Jenrick?”
“The Romanian courts lifted their ban,” Habba said. “I have no part in that, I have had no communication on it. This is not at some directive, so, fake news, there. But uh, I’ll let President Trump speak to that. … Again, they take clips, and they say, oh, they must have done it, because look at this interview where she said she appreciates your fight, it reminded her of her client. I don’t care if that pisses you off, frankly. I really don’t.”
Habba further responded to her critics by, again, conflating the lawfare against Trump with the Tate investigations. “Under their theory — Piers, let’s go through this — under their theory, I should have not represented President Trump. I should have not stood outside the courtroom when he was accused of some horrific things. And I should not have fought the fight. … So, under their theory, they say they love Trump, but they don’t love this. Well, guess what? I’m an attorney. I believe in a fight. I believe in the truth coming out. I believe in the court system. The court system will handle it.”
Habba emphatically denied having any personal role in lifting the travel ban. “That’s not my problem, that has nothing to do with me. Now, if the UK wants us to move them back to the UK, and get them out of Florida, that’s something they’re going to have to discuss with President Trump. But I have no part in it,” she said.
(As I reported on February 19, two additional Trump White House officials have advocated on the Tates’ behalf. Romanian foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu told European news outlets that Presidential Envoy for Special Missions Richard Grenell expressed interest in “the fate of the Tate brothers” in connection with a prior White House request to return the brothers’ passports and allow them to travel. Also, White House Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security Paul Ingrassia, in 2023 and 2024, worked for the law firm representing the Tate brothers in their civil actions against some of their alleged victims and witnesses in U.S. court. In a July 19, 2023 press release, the McBride Law Firm revealed that Ingrassia was “assigned to work on the Tate Brothers’ civil case” and “part of the McBride Law Team that helped facilitate Tucker Carlson’s face-to-face interviews with Andrew and Tristan Tate.”)