A senior US State Department official has claimed that the Donald Trump administration will issue visas to Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and his family, granting them entry into the United States. The development follows widespread media reports suggesting that Bolsonaro allegedly fled Brazil in the wake of his defeat in the country's highly polarized presidential election.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, merely a day after Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged money laundering. Bolsonaro has persistently denied any wrongdoing, asserting on Monday that he would remain in the country to lead the domestic opposition.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sharply condemned the right-wing senator's actions, labeling them as shameful. Lula stated that the Bolsonaro family allegedly relies on foreign intervention from the US for their political advantage, remarking that Brazil appears to be their second nation while the US remains their first.

Bolsonaro, the son of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, initially rejected the election outcomes and vowed to seek their annulment. Although his political party released a statement accepting the results—which showed the conservative candidate losing by more than 4.4 million votes—US leader Donald Trump reportedly cast doubt on the democratic process, claiming without evidence that the vote “looked like another rigged election.”

Source: www.aljazeera.com