Brazilian court orders investigation into allegations of support for U.S. Vice President Bolsonaro

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 27th (local time) that a Brazilian court ordered an investigation into whether there was a link between the election campaign of Flavio Bolsonaro, who fled to the United States after losing the presidential election, and a group supporting U.S. President JD Vance.

On this day, Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Flavio Dino ordered the Brazilian police to investigate the contacts and nature of the contacts between Vice President Vance's political support group 'Rockbridge Network' and companies and politicians who supported Bolsonaro's election.

Judge Dino explained the reason for ordering the investigation, saying, "There is a need to confirm whether human resources, services, and economic advantages were actually provided, and to determine the source and receiving point of that support, and the form in which it was used for the election campaign."

WP reported that the investigation order was issued after Bolsonaro chose to go to the United States to avoid the Supreme Court's order to submit his passport, and that in Brazil, it can be a crime for a candidate to receive foreign funds or other election support.

The Rockbridge Network, founded by Vice President Vance in 2019, is an organization that has been constantly suspected by Bolsonaro opponents of conducting illegal election support activities in Brazil.

Renan Santos, a minor candidate who was eliminated in the first round of the presidential election, also claimed that Brazilians claiming to be representatives of the Rockbridge network discussed providing U.S. support with Bolsonaro campaign officials.

The Rockbridge Network denied claims that it had been in contact with Bolsonaro's campaign, saying, "The Brazilians misrepresented their relationship with Rockbridge and falsified documents representing or referring to Rockbridge without our knowledge and consent."

WP cited the conflict between the U.S. administration of Donald Trump and the Lula administration over the case of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was indicted on charges of a military coup after losing to Brazil's current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election, and predicted that the Supreme Court's investigation order could worsen relations between the two countries once again.

Former President Jair Bolsonaro is Bolsonaro's father, who fled to the United States, and is classified as a close associate of President Trump in Latin America. The Trump administration has shown recognition that former President Jair Bolsonaro is suffering political persecution.