The Trump administration said it will issue visas to Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and his family, according to a senior State Department official. Bolsonaro fled Brazil after losing the country's presidential election, news outlets reported Tuesday.
The announcement came one day after Brazil's Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports as part of a money laundering investigation. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing and said Monday that he would remain in Brazil to lead the opposition.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who won the election by more than 4.4 million votes, called Bolsonaro's departure shameful. "A person who sneaks out of their country must have something to hide," Lula said during his 81st birthday celebration in Brasilia, calling the act "shameful."
Flavio Bolsonaro is the son of former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. His party initially opposed the election result but released a statement Monday accepting the outcome.
US President Donald Trump cast doubt on the election, telling reporters it "looked like another rigged election." No evidence has emerged that the vote involved malfeasance. Critics noted a last-minute decision to extend polling hours, though Lula's victory was commanding and the extension was unlikely to alter the result.
Democratic Representative Joaquin Castro called on the Trump administration to explain its role in Bolsonaro's departure. "Losing an election is not grounds for asylum," Castro said in a social media post, noting that Bolsonaro faces investigation in Brazil for alleged corruption, money laundering and currency evasion.
Flavio's brother Eduardo, who lives in the US and was convicted in absentia in June for illegally lobbying the Trump administration, said in a podcast interview earlier this month that Flavio should leave Brazil if he lost the race.