Brazil Investigates U.S. Funding for Campaign Against Supreme Court

Attorney General Jorge Messias filed a criminal complaint to investigate reports that the Trump administration attempted to direct United States State Department funds toward a campaign against the Brazilian Supreme Court. The proposed funding included a $1 million award titled "Countering lawfare and censorship in Brazil" intended to support groups opposing the court's judicial actions.

Messias condemned the move as an attack on Brazilian sovereignty, stating that foreign political interests cannot be tolerated when seeking to interfere in the functioning of national institutions. The investigation comes three days before a presidential election between incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro.

This development follows a period of heightened tension between the two nations. The Trump administration has previously utilized tariffs and sanctions to pressure the Brazilian government over the conviction of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years for attempting to seize power after the 2022 election.