President Lula da Silva has barred U.S. presidential adviser Darren Beattie from entering Brazil to visit jailed former leader Jair Bolsonaro, citing both visa irregularities and a reciprocal dispute over the U.S. travel ban on Brazil’s Health Minister.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has prohibited Darren Beattie, a senior adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, from entering Brazil following Beattie’s request to visit imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro. The Brazilian Foreign Relations Ministry confirmed the revocation of Beattie’s visa, citing “omission and falsification of relevant information regarding the reason for the visit,” while the Supreme Court concurrently denied the visitation request for Bolsonaro, who is serving 27 years for a coup plot.
Linking the decision to a prior diplomatic spat involving the U.S. revocation of Brazilian Health Minister Alexandre Padilha’s visa, Lula stated during a Friday event: “That American guy who said he was coming here to visit Jair Bolsonaro was prohibited from visiting, and I forbade him from coming to Brazil until they release the visa for my health minister.” While relations between the two leaders have fluctuated ranging from Trump imposing steep tariffs to later calling Lula a “very nice man” this latest move signals renewed delicacy in the bilateral relationship as Beattie was recently appointed to a role monitoring the South American nation.
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