US President Donald Trump reportedly intervened to help Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro enter the United States, where he is now staying in Florida under temporary immigration permission, according to a report by The New York Times.
Bolsonaro, who faces several criminal investigations in Brazil, travelled to the US aboard a private jet arranged by a White House official, the report said.
Trump later confirmed his involvement, saying Bolsonaro had been given “a pass” to enter the country. US officials cited by the newspaper said the temporary arrangement could eventually open the door for Bolsonaro to obtain permanent residency.
Bolsonaro received by brother upon arrival
Bolsonaro landed in the US late Tuesday, following his loss in Sunday's presidential election in Brazil. The right-wing politician landed in Miami, according to Brazilian newspaper O Globo, and was received by his brother Eduardo upon his arrival. Eduardo has lived in the US since last year after he moved there to lobby Trump to help their father, jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, Bloomberg reported.
Bolsonaro, his family underwent immigration checks
{{/usCountry}}Bolsonaro, his family underwent immigration checks
{{/usCountry}}Questions concerning the circumstances of Bolsonaro’s entry into the US, including his parole arrangement and Trump's role, were redirected by the White House and the state department to the department of homeland security. In its response, homeland security stated that Bolsonaro and his family underwent immigration checks conducted by US customs and border protection officials, NYT reported. Following the inspection, all members of the group were cleared and allowed to leave.
An examination of publicly accessible US government documents by The NYT pointed to the possibility that Bolsonaro used a revoked Brazilian diplomatic passport when he arrived in the country. The database reportedly contains a Brazilian-issued document number that matches details previously made public in connection with his diplomatic passport.
Flávio defeated by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Flávio was defeated by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who won a historic fourth term as president after securing 51.75 per cent of the vote, according to Brazil's electoral court. Flávio secured 48.25 per cent of the votes.
ALSO READ: Crossed into Argentina, flew to Ecuador before reaching US: Tracking Flávio Bolsonaro's escape path
The right-wing politician made his last public statement through a social media post on Monday, a day after his election defeat, stating that he had been ordered to turn in his passports and was prohibited from leaving the country. The directive, issued by Brazil's Supreme Court, was issued on Sunday following Flávio's defeat.
Flávio is facing multiple criminal investigations in Brazil, and missed the court-imposed deadline to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports on Tuesday. He has refused to concede defeat, and continues to allege election fraud without presenting public evidence. The Bolsonaro family has also long accused Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who demanded that Flávio surrender his passports, of political persecution.