Brazil's Foreign Ministry announced Saturday that it denied visas to two U.S. State Department officials, Riley M. Barnes and Samuel Samson, who had requested to travel to the South American nation next week. The decision marks the latest point of friction between the two countries.
The Brazilian government stated that Barnes and Samson, who applied for visas on July 20, intended to cast doubt on Brazil's upcoming October elections. A spokesperson for the foreign office confirmed the visa denial on Friday but did not elaborate on the specific reasons.
According to the U.S. State Department, Barnes and Samson planned a routine visit to Brasília from July 27 to July 30 to engage with government officials, religious leaders, and others on topics including "election integrity, religious freedom and freedom of expression." In response to an inquiry from the Associated Press, the department characterized any suggestion of a plot to undermine Brazil's election as a "baseless lie."
The upcoming Brazilian election features President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva seeking reelection against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. Senator Bolsonaro's family has significant ties to the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump. In late May, Senator Bolsonaro and his brother, Eduardo, visited U.S. officials in Washington, including President Trump.
Following that visit, the Trump administration designated Brazil's largest drug-trafficking organizations, First Command Capital and Red Command, as foreign terrorist organizations. Brazil's current administration opposes this designation. Additionally, the Trump administration imposed tariff hikes of up to 37.5% on thousands of Brazilian exports, which took effect on Friday.
The U.S. government has asserted that Brazil engages in unfair competition practices and fails to prevent forced labor, accusations that the Lula administration rejects as attempts to influence the election in favor of Senator Bolsonaro.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has repeatedly raised concerns about the country's electronic voting system without providing evidence. He is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup and has long maintained that the machines, in use for 25 years, are susceptible to fraud. His son, Senator Bolsonaro, has recently echoed some of these claims, though he avoided them when his Liberal Party confirmed him as its presidential candidate.