The top American diplomat will have the final say over whether the brothers are handed over to the British authorities.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said there was no role for the White House “at this moment, or maybe ever” in the extradition to the UK of controversial influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate to face rape and sex trafficking charges.
The top American diplomat, who would ultimately have the final say in whether the brothers are handed over to the British authorities, said the case was subject to a legal process “that’ll play itself out at this point”.
This echoed remarks by the brothers’ lawyer Joe McBride to the Press Association, in which he said the current involvement of Donald Trump was “not necessary”.
He was responding to reports that the US president would not step in to block the extradition.
Ahead of the pair’s preliminary court hearing on Monday, Mr McBride had sought to pitch the case as a prosecution of free speech, with the Tates “being punished and attacked for what they say, not what they’ve done”.
Referring to the administration and specifically to Mr Rubio, he said: “They’re not fans of prosecuting people for free speech. This is one of the reasons why they’ve been elected.
“So I would just think, as a matter of principle, based on the reasons why they were elected, that they would not want to see two free citizens go to a country where they’re going to be thrown in jail for political reasons.”
Speaking during an overseas trip to the Philippines, Mr Rubio was pressed over whether he had any plans to get involved in the extradition challenge.
He said: “These cases have a process that they go through in the courts.
“My understanding is that they’re involved in that judicial process and so that’ll play itself out at this point.
“There’s no role for us to play at this moment or maybe ever in that regard.
“But I’m not going to opine on something that’s still working through a legal process.”
The Tate brothers, who hold dual US and British citizenship, were arrested by US marshals in Miami at the weekend and appeared before a federal magistrate for the first time on Monday.
They were detained after more charges were brought against them by UK prosecutors and are currently being held in federal custody.
In the coming weeks, a US district judge will consider whether they meet the conditions for extradition.
Andrew Tate, 39, was charged with seven further counts of rape, three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation, three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and 19 additional charges for offences relating to indecent images of a child and extreme pornography.
Tristan Tate, 38, was charged with one count of sexual assault, two counts of rape and three counts of arranging or facilitating trafficking for sexual exploitation.
The Crown Prosecution Service said the 38 additional charges, in addition to 21 existing charges, relate to alleged offences between July 2010 and August 2017.
The brothers have denied any wrongdoing.
