Brazilian Attorney General Calls for Probe into Alleged US Funding

Brazil’s Attorney General, Jorge Messias, has called for an investigation into alleged attempts by the United States to interfere in Brazil’s domestic politics by directing funds to right-wing organisations.

The call came after The Guardian reported that the administration of US President Donald Trump had planned to provide $1 million to right-wing civil society groups in Brazil opposing the country’s Supreme Court.

Messias described the allegations as a serious matter, particularly ahead of Brazil’s presidential election scheduled for October 4. He said foreign interference could not be tolerated and warned that the reported activities raised concerns about Brazil’s sovereignty.

The Guardian also reported that the Trump administration had sought to redirect about $175 million from a US State Department human rights fund to various far-right causes around the world. Alleged recipients reportedly included groups supporting white Afrikaners in South Africa and organisations in Brazil campaigning against what Washington described as “lawfare and censorship.”

The allegations come amid growing political tensions in Brazil, where President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is seeking re-election. His main rival is Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Flavio Bolsonaro met with Trump at the White House in May and has pledged closer relations between Brazil and the United States, while Lula has criticised what he describes as US intervention in Latin American politics.

The Brazilian Supreme Court has also become a major point of dispute between Brazil’s political right and the Lula government. The court convicted Jair Bolsonaro in 2025 over his involvement in an alleged coup plot following his defeat in the 2022 election. Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison.

Trump and Bolsonaro’s allies have described the prosecution as political persecution. The Trump administration previously imposed tariffs on some Brazilian goods, revoked the visas of Brazilian judicial officials involved in Bolsonaro’s case and sanctioned Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, before the measures were later withdrawn.

The latest allegations are now being examined by Brazilian authorities as the country approaches its presidential election.

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