Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, is seeking to remain in the US after applying for a six-month tourist visa, according to reports.
Reuters reported that Bolsonaro’s lawyer confirmed that the visa was being applied for, as a growing number of Democrats in Washington called for him to be extradited to Brazil, where he faces charges of inciting an attack on the capitol reminiscent of what happened in Washington, DC on January 1. 6.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro looks on after a news conference two days after he was defeated by Lula da Silva in the presidential runoff at the Alvorada Palace on November 1, 2022, in Brasilia, Brazil. Bolsonaro did not acknowledge his defeat and asked his supporters to protest peacefully and allowing free transit through the country.
(Andressa Anholete/Getty Images)
Bolsonaro was originally scheduled to return to Brazil at the end of January, but the attack on the Brazilian capital by thousands of his supporters seems to have changed his plans: he originally planned to leave the US sooner rather than later, crediting the possibility of his hospitalization in early January for complications related to his 2018 stabbing.
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Bolsonaro’s lawyer, Felipe Alexandre, told Reuters the United States received his client’s application on Friday, adding that his client will remain here until a decision is made on his application.
“He would like to take some time off, clear his head and enjoy being a tourist in the United States for a few months before deciding what his next step will be,” Alexandre told Reuters. “Whether or not he will use the full six months will be up to him and whatever strategy we agree to embark on based on his plans as they unfold.”
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva speaks during a meeting with governors at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on January 9, 2023, a day after supporters of Brazil’s far-right former president, Jair Bolsonaro, invade Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court. Brazilian security forces closed off the area around Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court on Monday, a day after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the seat of power in a riot that sparked an international outcry. Bolsonaro’s hardliners have been protesting outside military bases calling for military intervention to prevent Lula from taking power since his electoral victory.
(MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images)
Brazilian authorities detained more than 1,500 rioters who participated in an attack on the country’s Congress, Presidential Palace and Supreme Court on January 8, 2023.
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That day, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters participated in the riots, although the former president denied any involvement in incitement.
Democrats compared the attack to the pro-Trump takeover of the US Capitol in January 2021 and, like former President Donald Trump, Bolsonaro refused to give in to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and did not attend his investiture.
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Brazilian President Lula da Silva has named him personally responsible for the attack, though no charges or formal investigation have been filed.
“He didn’t just provoke this or encourage this, he still encourages it through social media,” Da Silva said after the attacks.
