Senator Flávio Bolsonaro departs Brazil for United States following election loss

Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro reportedly left for the United States on Tuesday after losing the presidential runoff to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The departure occurred as authorities sought to seize his passports amid investigations into alleged money laundering.

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro left Brazil on Tuesday, two days after his defeat in the country's presidential election, according to reports from Reuters and Folha de S.Paulo. A senior U.S. State Department official confirmed to Fox News Digital and Reuters that the United States will issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family. While some reports suggest his flight was destined for Florida, others indicated he might land in Dallas.

The lawmaker's departure coincided with a Tuesday deadline to surrender both his diplomatic and regular passports. The New York Times reported that Brazilian police requested the documents due to his links to an investigation. While Bolsonaro previously stated on Instagram that he planned to comply with the Supreme Court order, Deutsche Welle noted conflicting reports on whether he did so before the deadline expired and the passports were canceled.

Accounts of his exit route vary. Argentine outlet Infobae reported that Bolsonaro crossed into Argentina to board a flight, though Argentina's Ministry of Security denied he entered the country. Meanwhile, AFP cited a police official stating there was no official record of the senator leaving Brazil, while re-elected President Lula told supporters on Tuesday that Bolsonaro had indeed left the country.

Regarding the election outcome, Deutsche Welle reported that Bolsonaro's Liberal Party acknowledged the results on Tuesday. This followed an initial period where Bolsonaro suggested he would seek to annul the results due to alleged irregularities. Lula secured the victory with 51.8% of the vote, defeating Bolsonaro by nearly 4.4 million votes.

Background

Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, was under investigation for alleged money laundering and other crimes prior to the runoff. On Sunday, he lost his bid for the presidency to the leftist incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.