Brazil Probes Bolsonaro for 2-Night Sleepover at Hungarian Embassy
Brazil's Federal Police launched an investigation into Jair Bolsonaro on Monday in the wake of a report from the New York Times that he spent two nights at the Hungarian embassy in Brasília last month just days after having his passport seized.
Facts
- Brazil's Federal Police launched an investigation into Jair Bolsonaro on Monday in the wake of a report from the New York Times that he spent two nights at the Hungarian embassy in Brasília last month just days after having his passport seized.1
- Additionally, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to explain his extended embassy stay. If Brazilian authorities had sought to arrest him when he was inside a foreign embassy, he would have been legally off-limits to them.2
- This comes as the Times had access to three days of footage from security cameras showing the arrival of Bolsonaro late on Feb. 12 and his departure in the afternoon of Feb. 14. According to satellite imagery, the car in which he arrived was parked in the driveway on Feb. 13.3
- Bolsonaro, who enjoys a close relationship with Hungary's Viktor Orbán, told local news outlet Metrópoles that he has a "circle of friends" with heads of state around the world and that the rest "is speculation."4
- Summoned by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry to explain why Bolsonaro spent two nights at the embassy, the Hungarian ambassador reportedly remained silent during his meeting with Brazilian diplomats on Monday.5
- While investigators claim it's too early to say if the stay at the embassy was an attempt to flee, aides to the Lula administration said that this visit has been interpreted as an interference in Brazil's internal affairs.6
Sources: 1Associated Press, 2Bloomberg, 3TheNew York Times, 4The Brazilian Report, 5The Guardian and 6Folha de S.Paulo.
Narratives
- Left narrative, as provided by Daily Kos. As legal challenges against him mount, it's anything but surprising that Bolsonaro would hide and seek asylum at the Hungarian embassy. He has long been close friends with his fellow far-right compatriot Orbán — a relationship that prompted Budapest to offer assistance to get him re-elected. And this wouldn't be unprecedented as Bolsonaro ran away to America to skip Lula's inauguration before.
- Right narrative, as provided by The Gateway Pundit. Given that the Times broke this story shortly after CIA director William Burns traveled to Brazil, it's hard to believe that this political thriller isn't part of deliberate efforts by the Biden administration to damage the reputations of conservative champions Bolsonaro and Orbán. Even Brazilian justices who have persecuted the former president know that these latest allegations would be too much.
