Alt-right influencer and self-described “alpha male” Andrew Tate is in hot water. Again.
The hard-right internet celebrity is already facing prosecution for alleged sex crimes in Romania and the United Kingdom. Now, Tate could also face arrest in the United States. TMZ reports that Tate’s ex-girlfriend, Bri Stern, has filed a police report accusing him of sexual assault.
“One of Andrew Tate’s girlfriends says he nearly choked her unconscious during a violent sexual encounter 2 weeks ago, prompting her to report the alleged incident to police,” TMZ reports. “Bri Stern filed a sexual assault report and she claims Andrew attacked her on March 11 while they were staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel.”
The details are harrowing.
“She’s told police Tate began choking her while they were having sex, but it got too rough, and although she begged him to stop, he kept going,” the report continues. “Bri says the more she struggled, the more violent he got … and she felt everything getting fuzzy, like she was fading into unconsciousness. Bri says the violence only stopped when Tate was done having sex, and once he fell asleep.”
This isn’t just reported speculation — significant accompanying evidence corroborates Stern’s accusation. TMZ obtained photos that show her with bruises on her face, a hospital report concluding she suffered from post-concussion symptoms, and incredibly graphic text messages, allegedly from Tate, that include damning highlights such as “I love hitting you” and “you need to be hit.”
So, while everyone is legally innocent until proven guilty in our criminal justice system, when you consider this evidence along with Tate’s many public statements bragging about how he violates women, it sure appears likely that Stern’s allegations are true. Of course, police and prosecutors should follow up on these allegations and, if warranted by the results of their investigation, arrest and prosecute Tate for his alleged victimization of this woman.
More broadly, the Republican Party and conservative movement now have no choice but to reckon with Tate’s clear pattern of alleged wrongdoing — and take accountability for the role prominent right-wing figures have played in uplifting and defending this degenerate human being.
For example, Tate was only able to reenter the U.S. in late February after the Trump administration reportedly lobbied the Romanian government for his release. If Stern’s allegations are true, then any Trump officials who worked to secure Tate’s return to America directly facilitated a sexual assault. Is anyone going to be held accountable for this massive error in judgment?
What’s more, prominent conservative figures such as Candace Owens, Dana White, and Tucker Carlson have all defended or remained friendly with Tate — even, bizarrely, after Tate admitted to Owens on camera that he “wipes” his phone of “evidence” every night, which is not typically something upstanding citizens need to do.
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Will any of them admit they were wrong? Is there any amount of evidence or number of accusations against Tate that will overcome their tribal allegiances? Don’t hold your breath.
As horrible as his individual actions may be, Tate is just a symptom of a much broader sickness in American politics. Only a population polarized into madness would ever even hesitate to condemn such an objectively odious human being. But when “own the libs” or “oppose the establishment” at any cost becomes your defining ethos, it’s easy to lose any semblance of a moral compass.
Brad Polumbo is an independent journalist and host of the Brad vs Everyone podcast.