São Paulo, Brazil – In a move that has aroused suspicions about his true intentions, Brazilian congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has announced a temporary leave of absence from his position in Congress to relocate to the United States.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, a staunch right-wing figure in Brazil, has been a vocal supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump. Earlier this year, he traveled to the U.S. to attend Trump’s swearing-in ceremony, accompanied by fellow Brazilian lawmakers and former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro.
In a video posted on his social media channels, Eduardo Bolsonaro justified his decision, claiming that his time in the U.S. would help shed light on what he describes as “arbitrary actions” by Brazil’s Supreme Court.
“I will not rest until we build an international movement that ensures free, transparent elections with full participation from the opposition,” he declared. “There is no democracy in a country where the Supreme Court acts like Romania’s or Venezuela’s narco-dictatorship under Nicolás Maduro—where opposition leaders who rally massive crowds in the streets are banned from running due to the euphemisms of tyrants.”
His departure comes as Brazil’s Supreme Court is set to rule on whether to accept criminal charges filed by the Attorney General’s Office against 34 individuals, including former President Jair Bolsonaro. The accusations stem from a federal police investigation into the January 8, 2023, riots, when supporters of the former president stormed government buildings in Brasília in an effort to overturn his election loss.
The charges include:
- Attempted coup d’état
- Violent abolition of the democratic rule of law
- Armed criminal conspiracy
- Property damage to federal government buildings
- Destruction of protected national heritage
Investigators suspect the riots were part of a broader, coordinated effort to keep Bolsonaro in power, potentially with the support of the military, despite his defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 election. However, there is no evidence linking Eduardo Bolsonaro to the planning or execution of the events, and he has not been indicted in the case.
Some political analysts in Brazil have speculated that Eduardo’s move to the U.S. could be part of a broader strategy to facilitate an escape plan for his father. In February 2024, the Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro’s passport confiscated, barring him from leaving the country amid the ongoing investigation.
Before Eduardo Bolsonaro’s departure to the United States, lawmakers from President Lula’s party had requested that Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes seize his passport, arguing that the former president’s son was orchestrating an international conspiracy against Brazil. However, on the night of March 18, Moraes rejected the request.
“I will not rest until justice is served and my nation is freed,” Eduardo Bolsonaro stated in his video. “If Alexandre de Moraes wants to seize my passport or even imprison me to stop me from exposing his crimes in the United States, then this is precisely where I will stay and work harder than ever. My life’s mission is to hold him accountable for his cruelty against innocent people. I will only return when he has been properly punished for his crimes and abuse of power.”
Featured Image: Brazilian congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro (photo credit: Zeca Ribeiro/Câmara dos Deputados)
