Key facts
- Two US State Department officials, Darren Beattie and Ricardo Pita, led a campaign to restore the Bolsonaro family to power in Brazil.
- The officials instructed US diplomats to support the Bolsonaro clan and advocated for punitive US government measures against Brazil.
- The US imposed Magnitsky sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in July 2025.
- The US designated Brazilian gangs Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV) as terrorist organizations.
Two US State Department officials, Darren Beattie and Ricardo Pita, led a campaign to restore the right-wing Bolsonaro clan to power in Brazil and successfully pushed for sanctions aimed at tilting the election in their favor, according to a Reuters report citing 10 current and former US officials. The officials instructed US diplomats in Brazil that it was US policy to restore former President Jair Bolsonaro as Brazil’s leader, even though he had been disqualified from office. After Bolsonaro received a sentence in September 2025, they pivoted to supporting his son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. The US announced Magnitsky sanctions against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in July 2025, citing alleged violations of free-speech rights. The Bolsonaro family also pushed for Washington to designate Brazil's top gangs, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV), as terrorist organizations, believing it would hurt President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.