Democratic congressmen defended this Thursday, along with President Joe Biden, the revocation of the visa of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is in the State of Florida, for refusing to allow the US to serve as a refuge.
“We must not allow Bolsonaro or any other former Brazilian leader to find refuge in the US, to escape justice, for any possible crime committed during his tenure,” the 41 elected, all from the Democratic Party, wrote in an open letter addressed to to Biden, released Thursday.
They also asked the White House to “fully cooperate with any investigation by the Brazilian government, if requested” and to verify the legal status of Bolsonaro in the US, who came to US territory as head of state.
The elected officials also want the Justice Department to investigate possible US “support or financing” of violent crimes on January 8, in reference to the invasion and looting that day of three emblematic places of power in Brasilia by of supporters of the former. President Bolsonaro.
These events recalled the assault on the Capitol, on January 6, 2021.
The far-right former president had left Brazil for Florida two days before Lula da Silva’s presidential inauguration on January 1. He has been residing in the home of a former Brazilian MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter.
Last Sunday he was admitted to the hospital for an intestinal problem, from which he left on Tuesday night.
His stay in Florida puts the US in a relatively embarrassing position, as it recalls past receptions by controversial former Latin American leaders.
Questioned Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States had not received any requests from Brazil regarding Bolsonaro.
Biden already invited his Brazilian counterpart to visit him in Washington in early February.
Source: TSF
