Argentina Aids Flávio Bolsonaro's Flight to United States
Argentine presidential adviser Santiago Caputo allegedly helped Brazilian candidate Flávio Bolsonaro flee to Miami, sparking a diplomatic crisis between Brazil and Argentina.
A top adviser to Argentine President Javier Milei allegedly assisted defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in fleeing to the United States on October 27. Santiago Caputo reportedly met Bolsonaro at Puerto Iguazú airport, where he fast-tracked passport processing and flight paperwork for Bolsonaro and his family before they departed for Miami on a chartered Baires Fly jet.
Bolsonaro had been ordered by Brazilian authorities to surrender his travel documents due to money laundering investigations, although no active arrest warrant existed at the time of his departure. While Bolsonaro thanked President Milei for his "courage, sense of justice and legality," both Caputo and the Argentine foreign ministry denied any official government involvement in the operation.
The incident has caused a severe diplomatic rift. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva accused Milei of interfering in internal Brazilian affairs. In response, Brazil recalled its ambassador from Argentina and expelled the Argentine ambassador from Brazil.
