On July 25th, The Washington Post reported that Brazil refused to grant visas to two senior U.S. State Department officials, as the Trump administration planned to send these two American officials to Brazil in order to question the fairness and impartiality of the country's electoral system.
On the same day, two Brazilian officials who were aware of the matter confirmed this report to the British newspaper Reuters. They revealed that Brazil denied the visa applications of the American delegation on the 24th, including those for Riley Barnes, the assistant secretary of state for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Affairs, and Samuel Samson, the deputy assistant secretary of state from the US Department of State.
"The Washington Post" citing a statement by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that American officials applied for visas at the Brazilian consulate in Washington. They claimed to plan to hold a meeting with "the authorities involved in the Brazilian election process." The newspaper noted that it is unclear who American diplomats intend to meet, and how they could question a reliable electoral system in South America which is widely considered to be legitimate.
Two Brazilian officials told American media that they recently learned about the US 'conspiracy' and are determined to prevent those US officials from entering Brazil. The Brazilian side suspects that the US's goal is to meet with those who have doubts about the electoral system and produce a report to discredit the country's electronic voting system.
An official told Reuters that Brazil's reason for refusing was “there is evidence that someone is trying to exploit the current situation again for political manipulation and to undermine the electoral system.”
The US State Department confirmed in a statement that Barnes and Samson plan to travel to Brasília next week, but they did not answer questions regarding the purpose of this trip, nor did they specify whether the Trump administration has concerns about the fairness of the elections in Brazil.
Later on the 25th, a spokesman for the US State Department denied any claims that this move was aimed at undermining Brazilian elections. He said such accusations were “baseless” and emphasized that this visit was a routine one, in accordance with the statutory duties of the Department of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
The Washington Post explains that this move by the Trump administration highlights the extensive cultural changes experienced by American diplomatic agencies. During Trump's presidency, American diplomats have increasingly been used to pursue political goals rather than upholding principles that were once crucial and could transcend party differences.
The Trump administration has been trying to influence political elections throughout Latin America. Recently, he expressed “complete and thorough support” for Colombian President Ávila de la Espina, having previously supported Argentine President Mauricio Macri and Chilean President Sebastián Piñera as well.
In October this year, Brazil will hold presidential elections. The current president, Luiz Inácio Lula, will compete against Brazilian senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Flavio Bolsonaro is a ally of Donald Trump. His father, the former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, was sentenced to 27 years and 3 months by the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court for planning a coup.
This week, Trump imposed high tariffs on a range of Brazilian goods. Lula pointed out that the U.S. tariffs were a political move, aimed at helping Flavio Bolsonaro.
