Brazil denies visas to US envoys, accusing them of plans to undermine election system

BRASILIA, Brazil (Reuters) — Brazil has denied visa requests for two officials in US President Donald Trump’s administration who it said planned to travel to the country to cast doubt on the integrity of its electoral system, two Brazilian officials with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Saturday.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the US plan represented an attempt to shape Brazil’s October presidential election. Leftist incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will face right-leaning Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, a Trump ally and son of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, who lost the last election to Lula.

Brazil denied the request for visas on Friday to the US delegation, which would have included Assistant Secretary Riley M. Barnes from the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and also Samuel Samson, a deputy assistant secretary, the Brazilian officials said.

The rejection was based on “evidence pointing to a renewed attempt to politically exploit the situation and undermine the electoral system,” one of the officials said.

Later on Saturday, a US State Department spokesperson said Barnes and Samson would visit Brasília from July 27 to July 30 to meet with government officials, religious leaders and civil society representatives to discuss election integrity, religious freedom and freedom of expression.

The spokesperson rejected any suggestion of a “ploy” to undermine Brazil’s elections, calling such claims “baseless” and describing the visit as routine and consistent with the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor statutory mandate.

Flavio Bolsonaro did not respond on Saturday to a request for comment.

The alleged US plan was first reported by the Washington Post and then confirmed by Reuters.

Trump’s administration has been trying to influence political contests across Latin America. His recent “complete and total endorsement” ⁠of Colombia’s President-elect Abelardo De La Espriella followed support for leaders including Argentine President Javier Milei and Chilean President José Antonio Kast.

New attempt to discredit elections

Jair Bolsonaro, a former army captain and far-right firebrand, repeatedly sought to undermine confidence in Brazil’s electoral system before the 2022 election, echoing tactics used by Trump in the US.

At the time, the US Central Intelligence Agency director, under former president Joe Biden, told the Bolsonaro administration to stop casting doubt on Brazil’s voting system.

Still, in the months before the 2022 vote, which Lula ultimately won, Bolsonaro had convened foreign diplomats to present unsubstantiated allegations that Brazil’s electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud.

His campaign backfired. Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court, which oversees elections, later ruled that Bolsonaro had abused his position and barred him from seeking public office until 2030.

Bolsonaro was later convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting to overturn the election result and remain in power. He is serving the sentence under house arrest.

Now, Flavio Bolsonaro has reignited doubts over the country’s electoral system, which have been spreading through social media.

Speaking at an event attended by dozens of diplomats last week, the senator urged foreign governments to send observers to monitor Brazil’s elections.

At the same event, the younger Bolsonaro claimed that Brazil’s electronic voting machines were produced by Smartmatic, the company that US authorities have linked to electoral manipulation allegations in Venezuela.

Smartmatic and Brazil’s electoral court both told Reuters that no Brazilian voting machines were supplied by the company.

The senator said at the event and in a statement that he had not questioned “the integrity of Brazil’s voting system.”