Democratic Congressman Calls on Biden Admin to Extradite Bolsonaro Back to Brazil: U.S. ‘Should Not Be a Refuge for This Authoritarian’
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) called the Biden administration to extradite former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro back to his country in the wake of violent protests that rocked the capital city of Brasilia on Sunday.
Bolsonaro — who’s proudly embraced the nickname “Trump of the Tropics” and had the endorsement of the American ex-president — began promoting baseless claims of election fraud before the ballots were even counted in his narrow loss last October to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Lula was inaugurated earlier this month. Bolsonaro supporters have been camped out in Brasilia for months, and on Sunday, they knocked down metal barricades and violently clashed with police as they swarmed into the government buildings that house the Brazilian Congress, presidential palace and offices, and Supreme Court, creating scenes sadly reminiscent of the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Bolsonaro is currently in Florida, staying at a house he rented near Disney, just south of Orlando.
On Sunday’s episode of CNN Newsroom, Castro concurred with anchor Jim Acosta’s assessment that the reports from Brazil looked like a “replay of January 6th.”
“Bolsonaro was an authoritarian leader,” said Castro, “and he basically used the Trump play book to inspire domestic terrorists to try to take over the government.”
Mentioning Bolsonaro’s presence in Florida and recent reports that he was under investigation for corruption, Castro declared “he should be extradited to Brazil.”
“Republicans make a big deal and try to scare people” about “bad people” coming into the U.S., said Castro, referring to the crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border, but we know where one of these bad people is, with Bolsonaro in Florida.
“He’s a dangerous man,” Castro added. “They should send him back to his home country of Brazil.”
“Are you calling on the Biden administration or authorities in Florida to return Bolsonaro, put him on a plane and send him to Brazil as soon as possible?” Acosta asked.
“Yes, absolutely,” Castro replied. “Bolsonaro should not be in Florida. The United States should not be a refuge for this authoritarian who is inspired domestic terrorism in Brazil. He should be sent back to Brazil.”
Castro voiced the same sentiment on his Twitter account, writing that the Brazilian ex-president “must not be given refuge in Florida, where he’s been hiding from accountability for his crime.”
Watch above via CNN.
