Overview
- Senior State Department adviser Joe Rittenhouse met Tommy Robinson in Washington and praised him publicly as a "free speech warrior" on X.
- A department spokesperson said Robinson toured the building in an unofficial capacity and would not say who else he met or what was discussed.
- Robinson posted that he was invited to the State Department and shared photos from inside the John Quincy Adams State Drawing Room.
- During the trip he met Republican Reps. Randy Fine and Keith Self, former national security adviser Mike Flynn, and influencer Jack Posobiec, according to posts and reports.
- UK politicians including Emily Thornberry and Liberal Democrat Calum Miller condemned the welcome, with calls for scrutiny linked to concerns over U.S. engagement with European far-right figures under a "free speech" banner.