Bolsonaro, accused of urging US hostility, ordered to wear ankle bracelet
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Friday's punitive measures against the former president, whom authorities view as a flight risk, were the clearest sign yet that Brazil has no intention of backing off his prosecution — or of seeking a quick détente in its ever-widening dispute with the White House. Instead, authorities have ratcheted up the pressure on Bolsonaro and his son.
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Jair and Eduardo Bolsonaro were 'willfully and consciously acting with illicit intent … with the hope of trying to submit the functioning of the Federal Supreme Court to the scrutiny of a foreign state,' Moraes wrote in his order. Their 'clear goal,' he added, was to 'coerce the court.'
In a statement, Jair Bolsonaro's defense team said it was 'surprised and indignant' over what it described as 'severe' restrictions.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, in a statement posted to social media, said he wasn't surprised. 'We have for a long time been denouncing the actions of dictator Alexandre de Moraes,' he said, accusing the justice of using the Supreme Court 'as a personal weapon for political persecution.'
In a speech Thursday night, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — who has vowed not to give in to Trump's threats — used his strongest language yet to condemn Jair Bolsonaro's supporters, whom he accused of siding with the American president.
'They're true traitors of the homeland,' Lula said. 'They don't care about the economy of the country or the damages caused to our people.'
For weeks, Eduardo Bolsonaro has gone in and out of the White House to meet with Trump officials and encourage sanctions against Moraes, four people familiar with the situation told The Washington Post this week. Two of those familiar said they had seen a copy of a sanctions order against Moraes within the past month, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive details.
Often at Eduardo Bolsonaro's side has been Paulo Figueiredo, a right-wing Brazilian influencer who has also been charged with taking part in the alleged coup plot in 2022.
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The men have repeatedly urged action against Moraes, a figure reviled by the Brazilian right for his role in investigating Bolsonaro and for his expansive probes into misinformation on social media. They have pushed US authorities to invoke the Magnitsky Act, which empowers the American government to impose sanctions on foreign nationals.
Asked whether it was planning sanctions against Moraes, the White House sent a transcript of remarks from Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a congressional hearing in May. 'That is under review right now, and it's a great, great possibility that will happen,' Rubio said when asked whether officials were considering sanctioning Moraes under the Magnitsky Act.
Legal experts expressed surprise at the possible use of the Magnitsky Act, named for a slain Russian dissident, which has traditionally been used to sanction officials accused of 'gross' human rights violations.
'If they're trying to do it under the Global Magnitsky Act, it would not work,' said Alex Prezanti, a partner at Global Diligence, an international law firm. 'It would be illegal and could be successfully challenged.'
While Eduardo Bolsonaro pressed Washington for action, Brazilian authorities allege he has received both counsel and financial support from his father. The former president has openly discussed the money he has sent his son during his time in the United States, which he has said has topped $350,000.
'The investigation has confirmed the participation of JAIR MESSIAS BOLSONARO in the criminal conduct,' Moraes wrote in his order, accusing the former president of aiding a 'negotiation with a foreign government so that it can practice hostile actions against Brazil.'
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In April, during an interview with the Post, Jair Bolsonaro said he would have preferred that his son had stayed in Brazil but understood he was trying to help.
'I have a lot of gratitude toward Trump for the way he treats my son Eduardo,' Bolsonaro said inside his Liberal Party headquarters in Brasília. He also mentioned the Magnitsky Act, which he said was 'being studied right now in the United States to apply it against Alexandre de Moraes.'
It remains unclear how the White House will react to the new restrictions placed on Bolsonaro. In his Thursday letter calling for the end of his trial, Trump ended with: 'I will be watching.'
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