The United States has amplified its efforts to assist Jair Bolsonaro in evading punishment for his alleged role in orchestrating a failed coup. The State Department has denounced Brazil’s decision to place the former president under house arrest.
“We want Bolsonaro to speak!” the department’s bureau of western hemisphere affairs tweeted after police seized his mobile phone and confined him to his mansion in Brasília.
The supreme court judge presiding over the trial, Alexandre de Moraes, imposed house arrest on Bolsonaro due to his violation of a court order forbidding him from using social media and communicating with foreign diplomats. The Trump administration has supported Bolsonaro, trying to help him avoid a lengthy jail sentence for allegedly plotting to seize power after his 2022 election defeat.
Moraes, who is currently under Magnitsky sanctions imposed by the US president, claims the trial is politically motivated.
Bolsonaro’s supporters gather outside his mansion to protest his arrest, calling for Trump’s help and planning demonstrations. His allies vow to bring Brazil to a standstill if necessary to defend their leader.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/05/bolsonaro-us-support-coup-plot-trial-house-arrest
