US and Argentine Officials Face Questions on Bolsonaro's Exit From Brazil

Democratic members of the U.S. Congress asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday to explain whether Washington coordinated with Buenos Aires to move Flávio Bolsonaro out of Brazil. The request followed a Brazilian diplomatic source's account, reported Friday by AFP, that Argentina's charge d'affaires in Brasilia was summoned Thursday to explain the possible role of President Javier Milei's government. Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno rejected that account on X, writing: "Falso. No hubo ningún pedido de explicaciones."

Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, left Brazil after the runoff won by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. His Brazilian passports, including a diplomatic one, had been cancelled under a dollar-laundering investigation. He entered Argentina by land from the Brazilian border, and Argentina's Dirección Nacional de Migraciones said he boarded a private plane Tuesday night at Puerto Iguazú, 40 minutes after crossing into the country. A flight document reviewed by AFP lists an Italian passport in his name for the trip.

A high-ranking Argentine official said there was no irregularity in his transit. Chief of Cabinet Diego Santilli said there were no "impedimentos de Interpol." Bolsonaro arrived in Florida on Wednesday after a stop in Ecuador. In a letter, he called himself "el líder" of Brazil and said he would lead the opposition from the United States. Neither Argentina nor the United States has recognized Lula's victory in the Sunday runoff.

The Brazilian foreign ministry summoned Argentina's charge d'affaires on Thursday to seek explanations about Milei government involvement in the departure. The diplomatic source described the meeting as a routine procedure and did not disclose what was discussed. Quirno disputed the account in his post on X. In Washington, Democrats asked Rubio on Friday whether any coordination with Buenos Aires helped the senator leave Brazil.

The request in Washington and the exchange between Brasilia and Buenos Aires extend months of friction. Brazil downgraded its diplomatic representation in Argentina in August after Milei's insults directed at Lula. Lula won a fourth nonconsecutive term in the runoff. Trump called the election a "desgracia" but did not back the senator's claim to leadership. Valdemar Costa Neto, president of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party, said Thursday that no one had approved the letter and the party must move forward. Michelle Bolsonaro, elected senator and wife of the former president, said he asked the right for a "momento de unión y no de buscar culpables."

Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest over a 2022 coup attempt after losing the presidential election to Lula. He was an ally of Trump during Trump's first term. The Brazilian federal police said Wednesday they were investigating how Flávio Bolsonaro left the country, and the government of Ecuador said it was checking whether he transited through the country.