Brazil’s attorney general has ordered law enforcement to investigate allegations that the United States attempted to interfere in the country’s internal politics by funneling money to far-right organizations. Attorney General Jorge Messias announced the probe on Thursday, following a report by The Guardian suggesting that President Donald Trump’s administration planned to grant $1 million to right-wing civil groups opposed to the Brazilian Supreme Court.
“Foreign meddling cannot be tolerated,” Messias stated in a social media post, describing the report as a significant warning for Brazilian sovereignty. He emphasized that the allegations are particularly alarming given the ongoing electoral process and recent instances of external pressure on national institutions.
The investigation unfolds against the backdrop of a closely contested presidential race between incumbent leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his far-right challenger, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Recent polling indicates the two candidates are essentially tied heading into the first-round vote scheduled for October 4.
Lula has repeatedly cautioned against foreign intervention, highlighting Trump’s efforts to bolster right-wing allies across Latin America. Trump has previously endorsed several right-leaning candidates in the region and has at times linked economic aid to election outcomes. He has also cultivated close ties with the Bolsonaro family; Flavio Bolsonaro met with Trump at the White House in May and has promised to strengthen relations with the US.
The Guardian report, published on Wednesday, claimed the Trump administration sought to redirect $175 million from the State Department’s human rights fund to various far-right initiatives globally. Alleged recipients included groups advocating for white Afrikaners in South Africa and organizations in Brazil working to counter what Washington described as “lawfare and censorship.”
Tensions have escalated since the Brazilian Supreme Court convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro in September 2025 for his involvement in an alleged coup plot to overturn his 2022 election loss. Bolsonaro and his supporters, including Trump, have characterized the conviction as political persecution. In response, Trump previously imposed 50 percent tariffs on certain Brazilian goods, revoked the visas of judicial officials involved in the case, and levied sanctions against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes before later removing the tariffs.
In June, Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo was sentenced to over four years in prison after a court found he had lobbied for US interference in his father’s legal proceedings.
Does Brazil have evidence, or is this just based on a Guardian report? Need proof, not speculation.
So the US is funding far-right groups under the guise of fighting ‘lawfare’? Strange definition of democracy.
Trump has been openly backing Bolsonaro for years. This isn’t a surprise, just confirmation.
Is this just political posturing to rally voters ahead of the October election?
This is terrifying. Foreign interference in our democracy cannot be ignored.