Brazil’s attorney general, Jorge Messias, has declared that foreign interference in his nation’s institutions and democratic processes “cannot be tolerated.” The statement follows a report detailing how the Trump administration allegedly pushed to direct funds toward a campaign aimed at the Brazilian supreme court. Writing on X, Messias described the revelations as an “important alert for Brazilian sovereignty,” noting the gravity of the information given the current electoral climate and recent external pressures on Brazilian state institutions.
With the presidential election only three days away, the political landscape remains tense as incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva prepares to face his far-right challenger, Flávio Bolsonaro. The two candidates are reportedly neck and neck in the polls. In response to the report, the attorney general’s office filed a criminal complaint on Thursday to investigate potential wrongdoing.
Messias emphasized that while international disagreements are a standard part of relations between governments, foreign political interests must not interfere with the functioning of Brazilian institutions or influence the sovereign choices of the Brazilian people. He stated that it is the right of every generation of Brazilians to decide their own destiny without outside influence. He added that the country must not accept decisions about Brazil being made outside of Brazil.
The reports that triggered the government's response suggest the Trump administration pushed to direct more than $175 million of the state department’s flagship human rights fund toward a slate of awards. This included a $40 million grant for an anti-communism fund, support for a group advancing white Afrikaner rights in South Africa, and the campaign against Brazil’s supreme court. Specifically, a $1 million award titled “Countering lawfare and censorship in Brazil” was intended to fund civil society groups opposing what it calls judicial overreach and censorship by the supreme court.
The supreme court, and particularly justice Alexandre de Moraes, is viewed as the primary adversary by Flávio Bolsonaro’s movement. Moraes oversaw the trial of Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted and sentenced to 27 years for attempting to seize power after his 2022 election loss to Lula. Supporters of the Bolsonaro family continue to describe the prosecution as a politically motivated “judicial dictatorship” and claim the imprisonment is unjust. The court sustained the most severe damage during the 8 January 2023 riots in Brasília, when hardcore Bolsonaro supporters trashed the presidential palace, congress, and the supreme court.
Criticism of the court has been bolstered by a recent scandal linking several judges, including Moraes, to banker Daniel Vorcaro, who is currently held in federal police custody in Brasília. Vorcaro has been linked to the Bolsonaro family, with reports stating he gave the family more than £9 million, supposedly to produce a biopic about Jair Bolsonaro starring Jim Caviezel. On the eve of Vorcaro’s arrest last November, Flávio Bolsonaro messaged him to say: “Brother, I’ll always be with you.” Vorcaro’s legal team has consistently denied wrongdoing, stating on Wednesday that he was not involved in any illicit activity or criminal practice.
