Rubio says US not directly involved in Flavio Bolsonaro’s flight from Brazil

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Saturday that Washington has not been directly involved in the arrangements made by Flavio Bolsonaro to leave Brazil following his electoral defeat.
President Donald Trump indicated that Bolsonaro may remain in the United States “as long as he wishes.”
Bolsonaro, who lost the presidential vote in Brazil’s runoff election, arrived with his family in the U.S. on Wednesday after a court ordered his passports to be seized amid multiple investigations against him.
“At a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia, where he held a G20 foreign ministers meeting for two days, Rubio explained that the president had given permission for Bolsonaro to enter the country. He emphasized that the U.S. government was not directly involved in the arrangements for Bolsonaro’s departure.”
The newcomer flew from Brazil to the United States via Argentina and Ecuador in a plane that media reports, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, described as chartered by Jason Miller, a Trump advisor. The airline head confirmed the flight was paid for through an intermediary account at a U.S. bank.
The White House has not commented on the flight, but President Trump has condemned the Brazilian election as “disgraceful.” Speaking at his Florida residence on Saturday, Trump indicated he has no intention of meeting Bolsonaro but expressed sympathy for the rightist senator, noting “he was treated very shabbily” and that Bolsonaro could stay in the U.S. “as long as he wants.”
A Brazilian diplomatic source who spoke on condition of anonymity told AFP that Argentina’s diplomatic representative was summoned for a “routine meeting” to “provide explanations” regarding the flight. Later, Argentina’s foreign minister denied that Brazil sought any involvement in the operation.
Since arriving in the U.S., Bolsonaro has asserted his claim to be the legitimate leader of Brazil, stating he left the country as a victim of “persecution.”
Flavio Bolsonaro’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for plotting a coup after his 2022 re-election loss.

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