Brazil denies visas to U.S. officials before October election
Brazil refused entry to two U.S. State Department officials as tensions rise over tariffs, voting claims and the October election.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Brazil denies visas to two U.S. State Department officials who were seeking to visit the country next week, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday, adding a sharp new turn to tensions ahead of Brazil’s October election.
The officials were identified as Riley M. Barnes, an assistant secretary, and Samuel Samson, a deputy assistant. A spokesperson for Brazil’s foreign office said they applied for visas on July 20 and were refused on Friday, but did not give a reason for the decision.
Why did Brazil deny U.S. officials visas?
The Brazilian government did not publicly state its reason for rejecting the visa requests. The Washington Post reported that Brazilian officials said Barnes and Samson wanted to raise doubts about Brazil’s coming election.
The U.S. State Department pushed back on that claim in response to a question from The Associated Press. It said the trip was routine and called “any insinuation of a ‘ploy’ to undermine a democratic nation’s election” a “baseless lie.”
According to the State Department, Barnes and Samson planned to be in Brasilia from July 27 to July 30. The department said they intended to meet government officials, religious leaders and others about “election integrity,” religious freedom and freedom of expression.
Who is running in Brazil’s October election?
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is seeking reelection against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro. The Bolsonaro family has maintained ties with the Trump administration, according to the report.
Sen. Bolsonaro and his brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, visited U.S. officials in Washington in late May, including President Trump. Soon after, the Trump administration classified Brazil’s largest drug-trafficking groups, First Command Capital and Red Command, as foreign terrorist organizations, a step Lula opposes.
The Trump administration also put an up to 37.5% tariff increase on thousands of Brazilian exports, which took effect Friday. The U.S. government says Brazil engages in unfair competition practices and does not stop forced labor practices.
Lula’s administration rejects those accusations and says they are an attempt to influence the election in favor of Sen. Bolsonaro.
What role do voting claims play in the dispute?
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has spent years making unsupported claims about Brazil’s electronic voting system, according to the report. He has alleged the machines, which have been used for a quarter-century, are vulnerable to fraud, but has not provided evidence for those claims.
Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year prison sentence at home for an attempted coup. His son, Sen. Bolsonaro, has recently repeated some of his father’s claims about voting, though he did not raise them Saturday when his Liberal Party confirmed him as a presidential candidate in Sao Paulo.
The visa denial now places the planned U.S. visit at the center of a broader clash involving election rhetoric, trade penalties and Washington’s recent moves against Brazilian criminal groups. Neither Brazil’s Foreign Ministry nor the State Department announced any immediate next step after the refusals.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS News.