Bolsonaro son leaves Congress role in Brazil to build support in the US
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Mr Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, will seek to build international support for his father and their political group.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BRASILIA/SAO PAULO – Mr Eduardo Bolsonaro, a son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, said on March 18 he will take leave from his role as congressman to live in the US and seek to build international support for his father and their political group.
During a 10-minute video published on his YouTube channel, Mr Eduardo said he will take a temporary leave from his role in Congress to focus on developing international support to fight what he called persecution against the Bolsonaro family and their allies and supporters.
Mr Eduardo, one of Jair Bolsonaro’s five children, has played the role of the family’s foreign emissary, appearing at US gun shows and conservative political conferences.
In the video, the Congressman said he has been in the US since late February for pre-scheduled travel, without providing details of his location. He told CNN Brasil later on March 18 he plans to file for political asylum.
Congressman Bolsonaro has boosted his campaign abroad since his father was barred from running for office until 2030 and had his passport taken in February 2024 on the order of Brazil’s top court.
In February, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s Workers Party asked for the younger Bolsonaro’s passport to be seized, but Brazil Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes rejected the request on March 18.
Congressman Bolsonaro said in the video he will seek punishment for officials, including Justice Moraes who oversees investigations against his father. He also wants to build support for a pardon for the participants of Jan 8 riots, when government buildings were ransacked days after Brazilian President Lula’s 2023 inauguration.
Justice Moraes is overseeing the case of a 2022 coup attempt, which Jair Bolsonaro was charged with leading, as well as probes on misinformation and hate speech in social media by far-right influencers.
Justice Moraes was sued in February
In 2024, the judge also ordered a temporary shut down of Mr Elon Musk’s X in the country, after the social media company failed to comply with his rulings.
Jair Bolsonaro told reporters in Brasilia: “I know now he (Trump) will continue to welcome my son.”
