Brazil Denies Visas to Two US State Department Officials Before October Election
7 verified3 unconfirmed
Brazil has denied visas to two U.S. State Department officials who planned to travel to the country next week to discuss election integrity, religious freedom, and freedom of expression, according to a spokesperson for Brazil’s foreign office. The officials—Riley M. Barnes, an assistant secretary, and Samuel Samson, a deputy assistant secretary—requested visas on July 20, and the denial was issued on Friday, the spokesperson said. The visit was scheduled for July 27-30 in Brasilia. Brazilian officials have characterized the planned trip as an attempt to undermine the country’s electoral system ahead of the October presidential election, a charge the U.S. State Department has denied, calling the visit routine and any insinuation of a “ploy” a baseless lie. The election will pit incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, whose father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup and has long made unsubstantiated claims about fraud in Brazil’s electronic voting system. The Bolsonaro family has ties with the Trump administration, including a meeting in Washington in May, and the Trump administration has recently classified two of Brazil’s largest drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations, a move opposed by Lula.
What’s verified
Brazil denied visas to two U.S. State Department officials: Assistant Secretary Riley M. Barnes and Deputy Assistant Secretary Samuel Samson.
The officials requested visas on July 20 and were denied on Friday, July 25.
The planned visit was to Brasilia from July 27-30 to discuss election integrity, religious freedom, and freedom of expression.
Brazil characterized the visit as an attempt to politically exploit the situation and undermine the electoral system; the U.S. State Department called the visit routine and said any insinuation of a “ploy” was a baseless lie.
The presidential election is scheduled for October, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva seeking reelection against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
Former President Jair Bolsonaro, father of Flávio, is serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup and has made unsubstantiated claims about electronic voting fraud.
The Bolsonaro family has ties with the Trump administration, and the Trump administration classified two major Brazilian drug-trafficking groups as foreign terrorist organizations.
Not yet confirmed
The exact wording of the Brazilian government’s internal assessment is reported differently: one source quotes an official citing “evidence pointing to a renewed attempt to politically exploit the situation and undermine the electoral system,” while another source reports Brazilian officials saying the visit was “completely incompatible with Brazilian democracy.” These specific phrases appear in only one source each.
The U.S. tariff hike on Brazilian exports is mentioned in one source (up to 37.5%), but not in the other.
The names of the two drug-trafficking groups (First Command Capital and Red Command) appear in only one source.
Key figures
Riley M. Barnes, U.S. State Department assistant secretary
Samuel Samson, U.S. State Department deputy assistant secretary
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil
Flávio Bolsonaro, Brazilian senator and presidential candidate
Jair Bolsonaro, former president of Brazil, currently serving a sentence
Donald Trump, President of the United States
Sources: abcnews.com, dw.com
