Brazilian lawmaker demands extradition of Bolsonaro from US
Ryan King
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A Brazilian lawmaker implored the U.S. government to initiate extradition proceedings for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro from the United States on Monday in the wake of his supporters’ attack on government buildings.
Erika Hilton, elected to the National Congress of Brazil last year, urged Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira to commence the extradition of Bolsonaro, who is currently in a Florida hospital. The lawmaker cited the “serious events and attacks on the Powers of the Federative Republic of Brazil” that transpired Sunday in the request.
FORMER BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT JAIR BOLSONARO ADMITTED TO US HOSPITAL AMID PROTEST AFTERMATH
“It is clear that the criminal acts took place for eminently political reasons and with leadership, at first hidden, from an anti-democratic disagreement in relation to the result of the polls and the diplomacy itself,” Hilton declared, according to a translation.
https://twitter.com/ErikakHilton/status/1612528205482582030?s=20&t=J0N2ezEB4UU0QaI-j8XYvw
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday that he was unaware of any requests from Brazil for Bolsonaro’s extradition. The former leader refused to concede his election loss to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who assumed office on Jan. 1.
Bolsonaro claims voting machine malfunctions and other woes dogged the election. He traveled to the U.S. after his loss. He was subsequently admitted to a hospital near Orlando, Florida, after suffering severe abdominal pain — something he previously dealt with after he was stabbed in the abdomen back in 2018.
On Sunday, hundreds of his supporters ransacked the National Congress, Supreme Court, and Presidential Palace in Brasilia in a scene eerily reminiscent of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Hilton is a member of Brazil’s Socialism and Liberty Party, which rivals Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party. The lawmaker was one of two openly transgender people elected to Brazil’s National Congress. The calls for extradition were echoed by a number of prominent Democrats in the U.S., such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and others, who decried the chaos on Jan. 8.
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Bolsonaro is currently mired in four criminal inquiries relating to alleged abuse of power and fraud. His successor, Lula, was arrested and charged with corruption and money laundering in 2018. Those charges were nixed by the Supreme Federal Court in 2019, clearing the way for his return to power.
Lula has condemned the protesters as “fanatic fascists” and tapped government forces to squelch the rioters. About 400 people have been arrested in the riot. The rioters vandalized and smashed windows inside the country’s most powerful government offices.
World leaders, including President Joe Biden, roundly denounced the attack.