The Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro, defeated last Sunday in the presidential elections against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is said to have left Brazil for the United States, despite having a court order prohibiting him from leaving the country.
The possible leak has sparked significant controversy, intensified by reports attributing a role in the operation to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The agency Reuters reported this Tuesday, citing three anonymous sources, that Bolsonaro had left Brazil for the United States.
A person close to his family assured that the senator was already in U.S. territory, although they did not specify where.
The agency EFE also reported on the rumors regarding his departure, which were initially circulated by Brazilian media such as O Globo and Folha de S. Paulo, citing political allies of the former candidate without publicly identifying their sources.
However, Brazilian authorities had not officially confirmed how he left the country or the route taken.
The press office and the defense of Bolsonaro had not provided a conclusive public explanation regarding his whereabouts.
For its part, CNN reported that two sources confirmed his departure to the United States. A State Department official told the network that Washington would issue visas to the senator and his family to allow them to enter the country.
The report reinforces the claims about his transfer, although it still does not clarify how he would have been able to leave Brazil after a court had prohibited him from doing so.
One of the most striking statements came from the Mexican businessman Simón Levy, who directly pointed to Marco Rubio as responsible for organizing the alleged exit.
“As I reported a few hours ago, Flávio Bolsonaro has safely arrived in the United States. The mastermind behind this operation is U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio,” Levy stated on his X account.
The businessman also stated that Bolsonaro would lead the opposition against Lula from the United States, a claim about his political plans that has not been confirmed by the senator himself.
Subsequently, Levy asserted in another post that the administration of President Donald Trump had authorized the granting of political asylum to Flávio Bolsonaro.
So far, there is no public confirmation from the State Department, Marco Rubio, or the White House that would establish the personal involvement of the Secretary of State in that alleged operation.
However, the accounts regarding a potential U.S. backing do not solely originate from Levy.
The journalist Caio Junqueira reported on CNN Brasil that allies of the senator claimed that the Trump administration had supported his departure and indicated favorable signs for a potential grant of political asylum.
According to that report, Bolsonaro's wife and daughters could also benefit from the measure. However, these are claims attributed to people close to the politician and not an officially published asylum resolution.
Reuters also cited a source close to the family who stated that the U.S. administration had granted asylum to Bolsonaro and his immediate family members, although that version had not been publicly confirmed by Washington.
The controversy began after Judge Alexandre de Moraes of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court ordered Bolsonaro on Monday to surrender his passports within 24 hours and prohibited him from leaving the country.
The measure is linked to an investigation for alleged money laundering involving the lawyer Willer Tomaz, who is close to the senator.
The proceedings are being conducted under judicial secrecy, and Bolsonaro denies having committed any irregularities.
After the deadline passed without the documents being submitted, the Brazilian Federal Police canceled both his ordinary passport and his diplomatic passport, according to information from the public agency Agência Brasil and reported by EFE.
On Monday, before reports about his possible departure emerged, Bolsonaro denied that he intended to flee.
I have never thought about leaving the country. I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this farce, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me," he stated, according to the translation of the remarks collected by Reuters.
Speculations initially also pointed to a possible route through Argentina, from where he would have boarded a private flight to the United States.
However, the Argentine immigration authorities stated that they had no records of his entry into the country.
Presidential spokesperson Adrián Ravier also denied that Bolsonaro had requested asylum in Argentina.
A senior official of the Brazilian Federal Police stated to Reuters that there was no record of the senator's departure through regular immigration points, which keeps questions about his journey open.
The crisis occurs just two days after Flávio Bolsonaro initially refused to acknowledge his electoral defeat to Lula.
The Brazilian president obtained approximately 51.8% of the votes in the second round on Sunday, compared to 48.2% achieved by Bolsonaro, with a lead of about 4.4 million votes.
One day later, the Liberal Party, to which the senator belongs, officially recognized Lula's victory, although it requested clarification on certain issues raised during the electoral process.
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