Flávio Bolsonaro Leaves Brazil for the US After Election Defeat
Former U.S. President Joe Biden is facing a worsening health situation after his son Hunter Biden said the cancer has spread to his bones and described the disease as "very painful" and "very debilitating."
Flávio Bolsonaro, the Brazilian senator who lost Sunday’s presidential run-off to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has reportedly left Brazil for the United States with his family. A senior US State Department official said the department would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his relatives, although it did not confirm his travel plans. CNN reported that he had landed in the US, citing sources.
Why Did His Departure Become Controversial?
On Monday, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports within 24 hours as part of an investigation into alleged corruption and money laundering. According to Reuters, the court cited the risk of him leaving Brazil and his “significant financial resources.” Sources told the agency that his passports were cancelled after the deadline passed, and a federal police official said he had not left through a regular migration point. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing. He had said on Monday that he had never thought about leaving and would stay to lead the opposition, and he described the travel ban as a scare tactic.
What happens next? According to CNN, there was no arrest warrant when he left, although legal analysts say defying the passport order could be enough reason for one. Bolsonaro also loses his immunity from prosecution when his Senate term ends in February, and he has not yet conceded defeat to Lula. Commenting on his rival’s whereabouts, the newly re-elected president said, “Those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear.” The remark reflects the political tension between the two men, but it does not establish any guilt.
The Role of the United States
A Trump adviser told CNN that the president approved Bolsonaro’s entry into the US. Reuters notes that Donald Trump has previously described Bolsonaro’s father, the former president Jair Bolsonaro, as a victim of judicial persecution in Brazil. Critics of the decision argue that losing an election is not grounds for asylum.
A visa allows Bolsonaro and his family to enter the country, but it does not settle the allegations against him or decide the outcome of the Brazilian investigation, and the passport dispute alone does not prove them. For now, he denies the accusations while the investigation and the political dispute continue.
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