US to grant visas to Flávio Bolsonaro after election loss

The United States will issue visas to Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family after his defeat in Sunday’s presidential election, a senior State Department official told CBS News. Brazilian media reported that Bolsonaro had left the country for the United States, though his departure has not been independently confirmed in the accounts provided.

The news came as Bolsonaro faced a Tuesday deadline to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports under an order from Brazil’s Supreme Court. It was unclear whether he had complied. Al Jazeera reported that the order was part of an investigation into alleged money laundering. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing.

Incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the election with more than 64 million votes, compared with fewer than 60 million for Bolsonaro — a margin of more than 4.4 million votes, or nearly 4%. Lula turned 81 on Tuesday.

Bolsonaro initially refused to acknowledge the result and said he would seek to have it annulled. He has made allegations of election fraud without providing evidence. His party, however, said Monday that it accepted the outcome. Bolsonaro also said Monday that he would remain in Brazil and lead the opposition, according to Al Jazeera.

Lula criticized the senator over reports that he had left. “This is what the Bolsonaro family is like,” Lula said. “Brazil is their second nation, the US is their first.” Al Jazeera reported that Lula had previously accused members of the family of seeking U.S. interference in Brazilian affairs for political gain.

U.S. President Donald Trump, an ally of Bolsonaro, cast doubt on the vote Monday, telling reporters it “looked like another rigged election.” He offered no evidence. Al Jazeera reported that no evidence of election malfeasance had emerged. The outlet said critics had questioned a last-minute extension of polling hours but that the change was unlikely to have altered the outcome.

Bolsonaro has emphasized his ties to Trump and visited the White House in May. His brother Eduardo, who lives in Texas, had publicly urged him to leave Brazil if he lost, CBS News reported. According to CBS News, Eduardo was convicted in absentia in June of illegally lobbying the Trump administration, sentenced to four years in prison and recently became the subject of an arrest warrant.

The passport order was issued Sunday and served Monday, CBS News reported. Bolsonaro said he received it outside the home where his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula. Jair Bolsonaro went to Florida after that defeat and returned to Brazil three months later.

A spokesperson for Flávio Bolsonaro did not respond to a request for comment from CBS News, and his campaign manager, Rogério Marinho, declined to comment.