The Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) questioned ex-President Jair Bolsonaro and seven high-ranking military officers over the 8 Jan 2023 attempted coup in Brasilia. Jair Bolsonaro and the defendants acknowledged that they conspired to prevent the inauguration of President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, who was elected in 2022. Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of the defendant, is accused of obstructing and threatening the legal proceedings against his father through his activities in the US. In Feb 2025, Eduardo Bolsonaro resigned from his position as federal deputy and moved to Texas to coordinate directly with the Republican Party. Since then, the Trump administration has promoted a series of measures to "put pressure" on the Brazilian judicial system. USSECSTATE Marco Rubio stated that the US government is "strongly considering" sanctions against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Elon Musk previously threatened this same justice over 'X' regulatory non-compliance issues in Brazil.
The 8 Jan 2023 insurrection was modeled directly on the 6 Jan 2021 attack on the US Capitol. At least over 40 rioters and 44 military police officers were injured and more than 1,430 suspects were arrested by Brazilian authorities.
