Rubio denies US facilitation of Jair Bolsonaros arrival after Brazil election defeat

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration did not help Flávio Bolsonaro travel to the United States. Flávio Bolsonaro reached Miami on Wednesday, after leaving Brazil following an election loss. Rubio said Washington only learnt later that Bolsonaro had arrived. The comments came as diplomats met in Atlanta.

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The State Department said on Tuesday that Flávio Bolsonaro and family members will be given US visas. That statement followed a weekend election defeat in a tight contest. The vote ran against a wider pattern of conservative wins in Latin America. Bolsonaro lost to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Marco Rubio denies Trump administration role in Flávio Bolsonaro travel

"We didnt facilitate anything,\" Rubio told reporters in Atlanta. Rubio said Flávio Bolsonaro already had a visa before travelling. Rubio added that President Donald Trump decided to let Bolsonaro enter the country. Rubio also said officials were not directly involved in any steps taken around the trip.

Rubio said talks with Brazil continued during the Atlanta meetings. Rubio said Mauro Vieira, Brazil’s foreign minister, was seen in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday. Rubio also said meetings with Brazilian officials were expected again in France. France is hosting a foreign ministers meeting in November.

Flávio Bolsonaro repeats fraud claims after election defeat to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Flávio Bolsonaro did not accept the result and claimed fraud without evidence. Bolsonaro left Brazil after losing to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Rubio’s remarks came after that departure became public. The dispute followed a hard-fought election with close margins.

Bolsonaro is under investigation in Brazil for corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. Police said Bolsonaro posed a flight risk and ordered the passport surrendered. Bolsonaro also had tacit support from President Donald Trump during the campaign. Bolsonaro arrived in the US despite the ongoing probes.

The senator from Rio de Janeiro said Bolsonaro is being targeted by political opponents. The senator will lose the seat when Brazil’s new legislature starts on Feb. 1. Bolsonaro repeated the persecution claim during an Instagram livestream on Friday. The livestream followed the departure to the United States.

In a letter on Wednesday, the 45-year-old Bolsonaro called himself Brazil’s true president-elect. The letter later described the role as leader instead. Bolsonaro compared himself to several figures, including Charles de Gaulle. De Gaulle led the French resistance from London during World War II.

The election dispute also brought attention to the Bolsonaro family’s political history. Bolsonaro’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, also did not accept the 2022 loss to Lula. Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup. Rubio said US officials stayed separate from Flávio Bolsonaro’s travel choices.

With inputs from PTI