White House Says US Hasn’t Received Bolsonaro Extradition Request From Brazil
Brazil has not asked the United States to extradite former President Jair Bolsonaro after his supporters breached the National Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace on Sunday, a top White House official confirmed Monday.
“We’re not, as far as I know, in direct contact with Bolsonaro, so I can’t speak definitively about his whereabouts,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday. Reports have indicated that the former president is in Florida, and on Monday, Bolsonaro was reportedly admitted to a hospital in the state.
“We have not, as of now, received any official requests from the Brazilian government related to Bolsonaro,” Sullivan told reporters in Mexico City, where President Joe Biden is visiting for a North American leaders’ summit.
Earlier on Monday, Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador released a statement condemning the breach of government buildings in Brasilia.
“We stand with Brazil as it safeguards its democratic institutions,” they wrote. “Our governments support the free will of the people of Brazil. We look forward to working with President Lula on delivering for our countries, the Western Hemisphere, and beyond.”
Bolsonaro flew to Florida two days before his term ended on Jan. 1, having challenged the results of the Oct. 30 runoff election that he narrowly lost to leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. On Sunday, Bolsonaro supporters entered Brazil’s presidential palace, Congress, and Supreme Court after breaching security lines.
Lula, who pledged in his Jan. 1 inauguration speech to go after Bolsonaro if needed, blamed his predecessor for Sunday’s breach. Lula was not at the presidential palace on Sunday.
In a Twitter post on Sunday, Bolsonaro rejected Lula’s accusations and said the breach had crossed the line of peaceful protest. Bolsonaro was already under investigation in four Supreme Court criminal probes before stepping down as president, although critics have said that investigator Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes is trying to silence free speech and is investigating Bolsonaro under false pretexts.
“Peaceful demonstrations, within the law, are part of democracy. However, vandalism and the invasion of public buildings like today’s acts, and like those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, are an exception,” Bolsonaro wrote, referring to prior protests in the country.
But, according to Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) in a CNN interview, “Bolsonaro should not be in Florida.” He argued that “the United States should not be a refuge for this authoritarian who has inspired domestic terrorism in Brazil. He should be sent back to Brazil.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) echoed those views by writing that the United States “must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida.”
If Bolsonaro were detained on U.S. soil, Brazil would then have to formally seek his extradition. Bolsonaro would be free to appeal in the U.S. courts, or he might attempt to seek asylum, although that offers no guarantee of preventing his eventual return to Brazil.
Other Details
Pro-Bolsonaro truckers, who have protested on Brazil’s highways for weeks, held more demonstrations through the night. A toll road operator for the BR 163 highway that cuts through Brazil’s top grain-producing state of Mato Grosso reported several blockades that were cleared by dawn. Police said blockages on another highway in Parana state were also cleared.
“There are still people trying to block roads and access to oil refineries,” presidential spokesman Paulo Pimenta told reporters. State-run oil company Petrobras said its refinery operations and fuel supplies had not been affected.
De Moraes, the Supreme Court justice, also ordered the governor of Brasilia removed from office late on Sunday for 90 days over alleged security failings and demanded that social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok block accounts of people spreading pro-Bolsanaro messages. Facebook parent Meta said Monday it was removing content supporting or praising the weekend actions, drawing widespread condemnation on Twitter and among conservatives.
Police retook the damaged public buildings in Brazil’s capital after three hours and dispersed the crowd with tear gas. Justice Minister Flavio Dino said 200 demonstrators had been arrested, although that number is expected to rise.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Jack Phillips is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times based in New York. He covers breaking news.
