BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil's federal police said messages found on the telephone of former President Jair Bolsonaro showed he once wanted to flee to Argentina and request political asylum, according to documents seen Wednesday by The Associated Press.
Bolsonaro is currently awaiting a Supreme Court ruling about an alleged coup attempt and learned Wednesday he might face another case as police formally accused him and one of his sons, Eduardo Bolsonaro, of obstruction of justice in connection with his trial.
The 170-page report said Bolsonaro had drafted a request for political asylum from Argentine President Javier Milei's government dated Feb. 10, 2024. He saved the document two days after authorities searched his home and office as part of the alleged coup plot investigation.
Close to that date, Bolsonaro admittedly spent two nights at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasília, fueling speculation he may have been attempting to avoid arrest.
The Argentina plot is part of the wider police accusation of obstruction of justice, in which Bolsonaro has allegedly ignored precautionary measures established for his house arrest and spread content to his allies "to directly hit Brazilian democratic institutions, notably the Supreme Court and even Brazil's Congress," according to the report.
The AP reviewed the police evidence, which included messaging app exchanges and voice messages, after police forwarded the documents to Brazil's Supreme Court. Bolsonaro would face another trial if the attorney-general decides to charge him.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the case, gave Bolsonaro's lawyers 48 hours to explain why the former president sought political asylum in Argentina and failed to comply with other precautionary measures of his house arrest, such as avoiding contact with people outside his family circle.
Asylum in Argentina
In a 33-page letter addressed to Milei, Bolsonaro claimed he was being politically persecuted in Brazil. Both are staunch supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has recently repeated some of the former president's claims in his decision to impose 50% tariffs on Brazilian exports.
"I, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, request political asylum from Your Excellency in the Republic of Argentina, under an urgent regime, as I find myself in a situation of political persecution in Brazil and fear for my life," the former Brazilian leader wrote.
Bolsonaro had his passport seized by Brazil's Supreme Court in on Feb. 8, 2024. He has repeatedly sought to get it back, including prior to Trump's inauguration earlier this year. De Moraes rejected all requests as the former president is seen as a flight risk.
Manuel Adorni, spokesperson for Milei, said the Argentine government hasn't received anything yet. Bolsonaro did not comment about the investigation.
The former Brazilian president attended Milei's inauguration in December 2023, while the serving President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva did not attend. Lula and Milei have had a frosty relationship since the right-wing Argentine took office.
Silas Malafaia, a very popular evangelical pastor who is a staunch ally of Bolsonaro's, had his passport and cell phone seized by investigators but was not formally accused of obstruction of justice.
Praising Trump
Brazil's federal police gathered several messages between Bolsonaro and his son in which they show interest in praising Trump to affect legal proceedings back home.
"You won't have time to reverse the situation if the guy here turns his back on you. Everything here is very touchy, every little thing affects you," Eduardo Bolsonaro told his father in one of the exchanges.
"In today's situation, you don't even need to worry about jail; you won't be arrested. But I'm afraid things will change here (in the United States). Even inside the White House, there are people telling (Trump): 'OK, Brazil is gone. Let's move on'," Eduardo Bolsonaro said.
Earlier, Eduardo Bolsonaro said in a statement that he "never aimed at interfering in any ongoing proceedings in Brazil." He added the conversations with his father that are part of the investigation are "absolutely normal" and its publication has a political bias.
Some exchanges also show frictions sauced with expletives between father and son. Eduardo, who moved to the U.S. earlier this year despite holding a seat in Brazil's congress, calls Bolsonaro "ungrateful" for his efforts to influence the Trump administration in their favor.
Eduardo Bolsonaro also asks his father to "ACT RESPONSIBLY" so he doesn't have to remain much longer in the U.S.
Avoiding prison
Eduardo Bolsonaro also said he had secured U.S. government support "with great difficulty," claiming that he and an ally, Paulo Figueiredo, were the only ones with access to the White House. He also told his father that Trump's pressure was the only chance Bolsonaro had to avoid prison.
"The most powerful man in the world is on your side. We did our part," Eduardo texted on July 10.
Brazil's federal police also investigated conversations between Bolsonaro and Martin de Luca, a lawyer for video platform Rumble and the Trump Media Group in a case challenging Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the investigations against the former president. De Luca sent the former president information about Rumble's lawsuit against de Moraes in the U.S.
On July 14, De Luca wrote to Bolsonaro, saying he was receiving interview requests from U.S. media for the former president. That same day, Bolsonaro sent De Luca a voice message seeking his advice.
"I drafted a note, I think I sent it to you, with four short paragraphs. It is good, praising Trump, saying that freedom is much more important than economic issues," Bolsonaro said. "I was really happy with Trump, very grateful to him. Please guide me with a short statement from your side, so I can post it on my channels and send it back to you."
A verdict and sentence in the coup trial will come from a Supreme Court panel of five justices. They are scheduled to announce their rulings between Sept. 2 and 12. The new findings will not be part of that decision.
Prosecutors say Bolsonaro and several of his allies headed a criminal organization that plotted to overturn the election, including plans to kill Lula and de Moraes.
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