Flávio Bolsonaro reaches Miami after leaving Brazil
Flávio Bolsonaro and his wife and two daughters left Brazil for Argentina late Tuesday, then boarded a charter flight bound for Guayaquil, Ecuador. The family later arrived in Miami on Wednesday, after the United States had issued them visas. The 45-year-old senator’s travel came as Brazil’s Supreme Court required him to hand in his Brazilian passports by noon on October 27; the court had also barred him from leaving the country. Allies said he held an Italian passport, while Argentine authorities said the family entered with valid travel documents and faced no legal impediment at the border.
Bolsonaro is under investigation in Brazil in two cases involving alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. One inquiry concerns alleged use of a firm that handles sports wagers to disguise improper claims for government pension payments. In another, investigators say he received millions of dollars from a banker implicated in financial misconduct. Bolsonaro has denied allegations in the investigations and has not been charged.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Bolsonaro had left Brazil and criticized his decision, saying he could have stayed to contest the accusations. Lula won the runoff election by about 4.4 million votes. President Donald Trump said he considered Bolsonaro and his family “fine people” and criticized the election, while political leaders across the globe and the Organization of American States congratulated Lula.
The departure is likely to strain ties between Lula and Argentina’s President Javier Milei, who campaigned for Bolsonaro. An Argentine lawmaker said she had asked a court to investigate the government’s handling of Bolsonaro’s border crossing. Bolsonaro’s ally Paulo Figueiredo said a press conference was planned in Miami for October 29.
Bolsonaro’s Flight to Miami Raises Questions About Accountability
Flávio Bolsonaro’s arrival in Miami puts a spotlight on a stark contrast: Brazil’s courts were seeking to hold a powerful political figure to account, while the Trump administration issued him and his family visas. Bolsonaro left Brazil after the Supreme Court ordered him to hand over his Brazilian passports and barred him from leaving the country. Argentine authorities said his family crossed the border with valid documents before taking a charter flight through Ecuador.
The senator is under investigation in two Brazilian cases involving alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. One concerns alleged laundering of improper claims for government pension payments; another involves accusations that he received millions of dollars from a banker implicated in financial misconduct. He has not been charged, and he has denied allegations in the investigations.
Lula, who won the runoff by about 4.4 million votes, said Bolsonaro could have remained in Brazil to contest the accusations. Instead, he departed as the passport deadline passed. Trump’s criticism of the election and his welcome for the Bolsonaro family sit uneasily alongside leaders across the globe and the Organization of American States, which congratulated Lula.
The journey also threatens to worsen tensions between Lula and Argentina’s Javier Milei, who campaigned for Bolsonaro. An Argentine lawmaker has asked a court to investigate her government’s handling of the crossing. A Bolsonaro ally said a press conference was planned in Miami for October 29.
Brazil’s Court Pushes Bolsonaro Out as Trump Offers Welcome
Flávio Bolsonaro is now in Miami after leaving Brazil, where the Supreme Court directed him to turn in his passports and barred him from leaving. The defeated candidate and his family crossed into Argentina using valid travel documents, Argentine authorities said, then took a charter flight through Ecuador. The Trump administration issued them visas, and Trump called the family “fine people.”
The case lands amid Brazil’s bitterly contested election. Lula won the runoff by about 4.4 million votes, but Trump described the election as strange and terrible. Bolsonaro had said he was organizing opposition to the results. While international leaders and the Organization of American States congratulated Lula, the court’s order and the senator’s departure have sharpened questions about how Brazil is treating its defeated political opposition.
Brazilian authorities are investigating Bolsonaro in two cases involving alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. He has not been charged and has denied allegations in the investigations. One inquiry concerns alleged use of a firm that handles sports wagers to disguise improper pension claims; another involves accusations that he accepted millions from a banker implicated in financial misconduct.
The departure may also deepen a diplomatic rift between Lula and Argentina’s Javier Milei, who campaigned for Bolsonaro. An Argentine lawmaker has sought a court inquiry into her government’s handling of the border crossing. A Bolsonaro ally said a press conference was planned in Miami for October 29.
Reported by WTOP, The Daily Wire, WSVN 7News, Yahoo News, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Local 10 Miami, CBS Miami, The Daily Caller, MSNBC, PBS NewsHour, Breitbart, Miami New Times, BBC US & Canada, Newsweek, The Guardian US, The Blaze, Twitchy, Salon, CNN, The New Republic, CBS News.
