For advocates of international democracy, Sunday was a day of celebration. Shortly after voters in Serbia ended the 14-year reign of Serbian strongman Aleksandar Vucic, the world also learned that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had won a surprising fourth term, defeating his right-wing rival, Flávio Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro, however, refused to accept the outcome, at which point, things got a little weird.

The right-wing Brazilian, whose father attempted a coup that ultimately sent him to prison, was an unusually controversial candidate, facing allegations of money laundering and tax evasion that led to the confiscation of his passport. Despite those controversies, the Trump administration announced Tuesday that Bolsonaro and his family were being rewarded with U.S. visas, and they arrived in Florida soon after.

The White House’s role in making this happen is still coming into focus. The New York Times reported:

Flávio Bolsonaro, the Brazilian presidential candidate who faces multiple criminal investigations, is staying in Florida on a temporary status that was given following orders by President Trump, and will likely be granted permanent residency later, U.S. officials said. […]

U.S. border agents allowed [Bolsonaro] and his family to enter the United States on what is called parole, usually given for humanitarian reasons, after they landed in Miami on a private jet on Wednesday morning, a U.S. official said that day.

The Times’ report added that it was a White House official who arranged for the private jet.

Donald Trump predictably condemned the Brazilian election as an “embarrassment” and claimed irregularities (for which he offered no evidence), while acknowledging that he and his team gave Bolsonaro “a pass” to enter the country.

So if the reporting is accurate, the sitting Republican president pulled strings and extended special treatment to a suspected foreign criminal, welcoming him to American soil.

This did not escape the attention of Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who are demanding answers from Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Politico reported:

In the letter, shared first with Politico, the Democrats ask Rubio to clarify how the State Department coordinated with other agencies to grant the visa, whether officials were aware of the pending probes against Bolsonaro and the degree to which the State Department and its officials helped Bolsonaro leave Brazil and come to the United States.

“The American people and Congress have a legitimate oversight interest in understanding whether U.S. diplomatic and immigration resources were used to facilitate the travel of a foreign political figure under these circumstances,” the lawmakers wrote. “Transparency is particularly important where the reported events implicate a foreign judicial proceeding, sensitive bilateral relations, and the consistent application of U.S. immigration and diplomatic policies.”

To date, no one in the administration has commented on how the process unfolded or who was ultimately responsible for rewarding Bolsonaro with the kind of shortcuts unavailable to everyone else. Watch this space.

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