The United States is escalating its dispute with Brazil over the fate of Donald Trump’s ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, by planning new sanctions against the judges who are trying him on coup charges. This is according to Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, who is a congressman.
Eduardo has been lobbying in Washington for the U.S. to take action against Brazil’s highest court, hoping to prevent his father from being jailed if he is found guilty of conspiring against democracy. Eduardo, who has met with Trump administration officials, had an early indication that Washington would impose sweeping sanctions on Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is presiding over the case.
“I know that Trump has a variety of options on the table, from sanctioning more Brazilian officials to a new wave of visa revocations and customs duty issues,” Eduardo said in a video interview with the Financial Times.
The White House and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tensions between the two countries have already escalated after Trump raised tariffs on Brazilian imports to 50% and the U.S. State Department banned eight Brazilian supreme court judges from traveling to the U.S. because of the Bolsonaro case.
Eduardo also stated that he plans to travel to Europe soon to push for EU sanctions against Brazil’s highest court. “I want to bring the U.S. sanctions to the attention of European parliamentarians so that sanctions can be imposed there too,” he said. Eduardo is expected to turn to right-wingers in the European Parliament.
