Eduardo Bolsonaro, member of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil: «And then, after all of that, I was here in the United States and decided to stay. Two hours after I announced on my social media that I was going to stay in the U.S., the Attorney General said, “Well, you’re not going to leave your past behind.” That same day, Alexandre de Moraes dismissed the case because they didn’t want to label me as “persecuted,” you know?

But anyway, I’m here living in exile, and we’re making very good connections not only in Congress but also in the White House.

And there’s another chapter. About a month ago, when Representative Corey Mills asked Secretary Rubio about the possibility of sanctioning Moraes, Marco Rubio said, “Yes, we are seriously looking into that, and there is a high probability we’re going to sanction that guy.”

After that, they opened an investigation against me. So now I’m under investigation in Brazil, and I could face a 12-year prison sentence because of my connections here in the United States — which basically means they’re calling Americans a criminal organization.»

Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, has claimed to be the victim of political persecution in his country, which led him to go into exile in the United States in 2024. The situation escalated amid growing tensions between the Bolsonaro movement and Brazil’s Supreme Court, particularly with Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has led investigations against Bolsonaro allies and supporters for alleged disinformation, anti-democratic acts, and attacks on institutions.

Eduardo, a federal congressman, became the target of multiple investigations and judicial pressure, which he and his supporters argue is part of a campaign to silence conservative voices and criminalize political opposition to the current government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. After publicly announcing on social media his decision to remain in the United States, a new case was opened against him in Brazil, potentially leading to a prison sentence of up to 12 years due to his connections with American political figures and criticism of the Brazilian judicial system.

Eduardo Bolsonaro now resides in the United States, where he has sought support in Congress and among figures close to former President Donald Trump. His exile has become a symbol of the growing political polarization in Brazil and the alleged use of judicial power to persecute ideological dissidents.