Eduardo Bolsonaro to Seek U.S. Sanctions Against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice

Eduardo Bolsonaro, a former federal deputy and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, is traveling to Washington to advocate for U.S. sanctions against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and other Brazilian authorities. In a press note released Friday, Eduardo Bolsonaro and journalist Paulo Figueiredo stated that there is more than enough evidence to justify such sanctions under current American law and foreign policy guidelines. They noted that their upcoming meetings in Washington are part of an ongoing effort to keep U.S. authorities informed about events in Brazil, citing the First Amendment as the basis for their actions.

The push for sanctions follows reports that the U.S. government may already have sanctions prepared against Moraes and other members of the Supreme Court. According to these reports, the administration of Donald Trump would conduct a final analysis following a Supreme Court session scheduled for Tuesday, October 15, which will discuss a potential investigation into Moraes regarding links to banker Daniel Vorcaro.

Past actions include a period last year when the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control applied economic sanctions against Moraes, his wife, and the Lex Institute for Legal Studies under the Magnitsky Act. Those sanctions were related to decisions regarding American social media platforms and the legal process against Jair Bolsonaro, but they were removed in December. More recently, the Financial Times reported that the Trump administration was considering reinstating sanctions due to a Federal Police operation against journalist Luis Pablo, which raised concerns about press freedom.