Nigel Farage under investigation by American authorities after flying to US for a Trump rally
Adrian Zorzut
Nigel Farage has demanded an apology from Remainers are claiming the Russia report clear him of any wrongdoing during the Brexit referendum campaign; Photo by Elyxandro Cegarra/NurPhoto via Getty Images - Credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images
US authorities have launched an investigation into Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, who recently broke coronavirus quarantine guidelines to attend a Donald Trump campaign rally in Oklahoma.
Chair of the Homeland Security committee Bennie G Thompson wrote to the US department requesting it investigate the Brexiteer's latest trip to the US.
Since coronavirus broke out, Britons been prohibited from arriving in the US unless they are the family member of a US citizen or are 'individuals who meet specified exceptions'.
Nigel Farage tweets claiming to be in the USA. Photograph: Twitter. - Credit: Archant
You may also want to watch:
Border officials, however, granted Farage an 11th hour reprieve to enter on the grounds it was 'in the national interest'.
Thompson, a Democrat congressman from Mississippi, wrote to acting homeland security chief Chad Wolf demanding 'all relevant' documents detailing why Farage was waived from the ban is handed over.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump welcomes Nigel Farage, ex-leader of the British UKIP party, to speak at a campaign rally in Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) - Credit: AP/Press Association Images
'The decision of the Trump administration to admit Mr Farage to the United States to enable him to attend a campaign rally at a time when most travel from the United Kingdom to the US has been suspended raises numerous troubling questions, as does the claim that such travel was in the national interest,' he said.
The country's main border force body, the Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP), confirmed that Farage was initially denied boarding while in the UK but that the decision was overturned following an internal review.
The congressman requested 'all communication' relating to Farage's trip and 'documents' on the individual responsible for granting his travel permit to be released.
Farage caused a stir when he tweeted a picture of himself in sunglasses with a thumbs up, posing by a lake, and claiming to be in 'the USA, only 24 hours from Tulsa' on Sunday.
He seems to have ignored the UK Foreign Office rules advising British nationals 'against all but essential international travel'.
The Brexit campaigner has previously appeared at rallies alongside Donald Trump during his presidential campaigning.
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.