ALBAWABA - Brazil has denied Visas for two U.S. envoys ahead of the upcoming presidential election, claiming that the U.S. was trying to interfere with Brazilian politics.
The two Trump administration officials, Assistant Secretary Riley M. Barnes and Deputy Assistant Secretary Samuel Samson from the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, had planned to travel to Brazil to meet with electoral authorities and discuss “election integrity”.
The U.S. envoys applied for visas on July 20, which were rejected by the Brazilian authorities just four days later, citing a U.S. ploy that was “completely incompatible with Brazilian democracy”, according to a senior Brazilian official.
Brazilian officials added that the denial of the visas was based on “evidence pointing to a renewed attempt to politically exploit the situation and undermine the electoral system”.
The U.S. State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor responded by saying that the visit was routine and “any insinuation of a 'ploy' to undermine a democratic nation's election is a baseless lie.”
Incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is seeking a second term and is running against Flavio Bolsonaro, son of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Jair Bolsonaro is a known friend of Trump, with his family having close ties to the Trump administration. Jair is currently under house arrest as he serves a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after his defeat to Lula in the previous election.
Along with this, the former President has also alleged that his country's electronic voting system was vulnerable to fraud; proving the age-old adage that birds of a feather flock together, with Jair even being dubbed “Trump of the Tropics” during his tenure.
