Brazil Denies Visas to Two Trump Administration Officials
Brazil has refused visas to two U.S. officials from Donald Trump's team who planned to meet electoral authorities ahead of October's presidential election, citing evidence of an attempt to undermine the electoral system.
Brazil's Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that it had denied visas to two officials from the Trump administration who had applied on July 20. Assistant Secretary Riley M. Barnes and Deputy Assistant Secretary Samuel Samson intended to travel to Brasília from July 27 to 30 to discuss election integrity, religious freedom, and freedom of expression. The visa denial was based on evidence pointing to a renewed attempt to politically exploit the situation and undermine the electoral system, according to a Brazilian official quoted by Reuters.
The U.S. State Department described the visit as routine and dismissed any suggestion of a "ploy" as a baseless lie. The Washington Post had earlier reported that Brazilian officials viewed the planned visit as completely incompatible with Brazilian democracy.
Brazil's presidential election is set for October 4. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is seeking reelection against Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. The right-wing Liberal Party confirmed Flávio as its candidate on Saturday. Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest, serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula. He had previously made unsubstantiated allegations about the vulnerability of Brazil's electronic voting system, claims that Flávio has repeated.
Jair Bolsonaro is a friend and ally of Donald Trump. In May, Flávio and his brother Eduardo visited Trump in Washington. The Trump administration classified two of Brazil's largest drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations, a move opposed by Lula. Jair was dubbed the "Trump of the Tropics," and Trump has called his trial a "witch hunt."
