Brazil attorney general seeks probe of alleged US election interference

Brazil’s attorney general has called for an investigation into alleged U.S. political interference after a report said the Trump administration was seeking to fund groups opposed to Brazil’s Supreme Court. The call comes three days before a closely contested presidential election.

Jorge Messias said Thursday that a report by The Guardian describing a proposed $1 million award for civil society groups challenging the court was “an important alert for Brazilian sovereignty.” Writing on X, he said foreign meddling “cannot be tolerated.”

“The information is especially serious in light of Brazil’s electoral process and the recent episodes of external pressure on our institutions,” Messias wrote. “What cannot be tolerated is for foreign political interests to seek to interfere in the functioning of Brazilian institutions or to influence, directly or indirectly, choices that belong exclusively to the Brazilian people.”

Al Jazeera reported that Messias called on law enforcement to investigate the alleged funding effort. According to The Guardian, citing Brazilian broadcaster GloboNews, the attorney general’s office filed a criminal complaint Thursday seeking an investigation into potential wrongdoing.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva faces Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, in the October 4 election. Polls show them virtually tied. Flávio Bolsonaro met President Donald Trump at the White House in May, according to Al Jazeera, and has promised closer U.S. ties. Lula has warned against foreign interference.

The Guardian reported Wednesday that the Trump administration was pushing to direct more than $175 million from the State Department’s flagship human rights fund to a range of awards. They included a $40 million anti-communism fund, support for a group advancing white Afrikaner rights in South Africa, and a proposed $1 million award called “Countering lawfare and censorship in Brazil.” That award would fund civil society groups opposing what it describes as judicial overreach and censorship by Brazil’s Supreme Court.

The court is a frequent target of criticism from Bolsonaro supporters. Justice Alexandre de Moraes oversaw the trial in which Jair Bolsonaro was convicted of trying to seize power after losing the 2022 election to Lula. The former president received a 27-year sentence in September 2025. Bolsonaro and his allies, including Trump, have portrayed the prosecution as politically motivated.

Last year, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on certain Brazilian goods, which have since been removed, citing Bolsonaro’s prosecution. His administration also revoked visas of Brazilian judicial officials involved in the case and briefly sanctioned Moraes, according to Al Jazeera. The Guardian described the sanctions and tariffs as a failed effort to pressure Lula’s government and the court over the trial.

Messias said Brazilians must be free to decide their country’s future. “Our democracy belongs to Brazilians,” he wrote. “And so it must remain.”