Brazil’s attorney general has called on law enforcement to investigate alleged efforts by the United States to interfere in the country’s domestic politics through the diversion of funds to far-right causes.
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general → call → causes
Attorney General Jorge Messias called for the probe on Thursday, one day after the British newspaper The Guardian published a story suggesting that the administration of United States President Donald Trump planned to award $1m to right-wing civil groups opposing the Brazilian Supreme Court.
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administration → call → Court
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Lula → warn → dynasty
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family → dominate → wing
Messias stated in a social media post that foreign meddling “cannot be tolerated” and that the report represented “an important alert for Brazilian sovereignty”.
“The information is especially serious in light of Brazil’s electoral process and the recent episodes of external pressure on our institutions,” the attorney general added.
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general → state → institutions
The report comes amid a tense presidential election in which leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is seeking re-election.
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Silva → come → election
Lula has sought to focus attention on efforts Trump has undertaken to boost the prospects of far-right allies across Latin America, warning of threats to regional sovereignty.
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Trump → seek → sovereignty
Trump has endorsed multiple right-wing candidates ahead of elections across the region, sometimes hinging the possibility of economic support on the voting results.
He has also cultivated close relations with the family of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who lost to Lula in the last presidential election.
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who → endorse → election
Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, is a frontrunner in the race to challenge Lula this year.
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son → challenge → Lula
Recent polls have shown Lula and Bolsonaro virtually tied ahead of the first round of voting on October 4.
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Lula → show → October
Flavio Bolsonaro met with Trump at the White House in May.
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Bolsonaro → meet → May
He has promised closer ties with the US, while Lula has positioned himself as a critic of Trump’s interventionist approach to Latin American politics and security.
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Lula → promise → politics
The Guardian report published on Wednesday states that the Trump administration sought to redirect $175m from the State Department’s human rights fund to various far-right causes around the world.
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administration → publish → world
The recipients allegedly included groups advocating for white Afrikaners in South Africa that the Trump administration has falsely portrayed as victims of a “genocide” and efforts in Brazil to counter what the US called “lawfare and censorship”.
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US → include → what
Much of that criticism stems from the 2025 conviction of Jair Bolsonaro for involvement in an alleged coup plot, designed to subvert his loss to Lula in the 2022 election.
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Much → stem → election
Bolsonaro and his allies, including Trump, have depicted the case as an instance of political persecution.
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Bolsonaro → include → persecution
Citing the trial, Trump last year placed 50-percent tariffs on certain Brazilian goods that he has since removed.
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he → cite → that
At the time, he announced the tariffs in a letter that denounced Bolsonaro’s prosecution.
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that → announce → prosecution
“The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace,” Trump wrote.
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Trump → treat → States
The Trump administration also revoked the visas of Brazilian judicial officials involved in Bolsonaro’s case in an effort to have it tossed out.
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it → revoke → effort
It also levied short-lived sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, accusing him of “an unlawful witch hunt” against right-wing voices.
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It → levy → voices
Bolsonaro was ultimately convicted and sentenced to a 27-year prison sentence in September 2025.
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Bolsonaro → convict → September
In June, one of his sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, was sentenced to more than four years in prison after a court ruled he had lobbied for US interference in his father’s case.
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he → sentence → case
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