Flavio Bolsonaro, the Brazilian senator who lost Sunday's presidential election, has left for the United States instead of complying with a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports, two sources told Reuters.
His destination, arrival time, and asylum plans were unclear. The Trump administration has previously alleged that Flavio's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, was a victim of judicial persecution.
Leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has accused Washington of colluding with the Bolsonaros to restore them to power. The departure threatens to deepen the rift between the Americas' two biggest countries by population.
Trump said Monday that Brazil's vote "looked like another rigged election," without mentioning the departure.
Favored to win, Bolsonaro lost to Lula in a shock result. Two other sources said his passports were cancelled after a 24-hour deadline set on Monday lapsed in a money laundering probe where he denies wrongdoing.
He loses his immunity from prosecution in February, when his Senate term ends, and said Monday he had no plans to flee. Bolsonaro said, "I have never thought about leaving the country," and added, "I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this travesty, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me."
In 2022, after refusing to concede to Lula, Jair Bolsonaro likewise went to the United States under President Joe Biden. He was later handed a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup, after his supporters stormed government buildings in Brasilia.
Flavio has not formally conceded and said Sunday he would seek annulment over alleged voter irregularities, though his Liberal Party said Monday it acknowledged Lula's victory. A senior Federal Police official said Bolsonaro used no regular migration point; how he left under the deadline is unclear.
Reuters noted that Eduardo Bolsonaro, Flavio's younger brother in the US, said before the vote that a loss would require a move.
Eduardo told podcaster Steven Crowder this month, "If my brother does not win, I'm in favor that he would leave the country."
