Recently, the United States sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. He is out front now during the high-profile trial of Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former President. This shift comes after allegations of political repression and censorship associated with de Moraes’ judicial acts. U.S. officials have condemned the comments in no uncertain terms, voicing their fury.
The former president is currently facing some very serious charges, including an alleged coup attempt to install the defeated incumbent presidential rival President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, among others. A five-judge Supreme Court panel is watching the trial with a hawk’s eye. De Moraes has been at the center of the storm unfolding in the proceedings.
The sanctions were announced by the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, invoking de Moraes’ inflammatory actions as a rationale. “Alexandre de Moraes has taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against U.S. and Brazilian citizens and companies,” Bessent stated. And he powerfully insisted that de Moraes has spearheaded an authoritarian, hate-filled, anti-democratic campaign of silencing. He focused on condemning the arbitrary detentions that violate human rights, calling out Bolsonaro specifically.
In addition to his involvement in Bolsonaro’s trial, de Moraes is known for blocking Elon Musk’s social media platform, X, throughout Brazil last year. This order came about after X’s repeated and willful failure to follow court orders. Those orders mandated the takedown of certain pieces of content and user accounts that the Brazilian authorities found objectionable. At the time, Musk was Trump’s best friend, and Trump has since cut a blistering attack on de Moraes.
Under this proposal, Trump would place a 50% tariff on all imports coming from Brazil. He argues that this move is in part a reaction to the current criminal prosecution of Bolsonaro. These tariffs are reflective of increasing tensions between the U.S. and Brazil as political disputes continue to escalate.
The latest sanctions against de Moraes have frozen him out of any properties he might own in the United States. He is no longer able to effectively steward those assets. Eduardo Bolsonaro, a federal congressman and the son of Jair Bolsonaro, assumed lead in liaising with the White House and coordinating. His diplomacy and hard work were key in making these sanctions possible.
“Today’s action makes clear that Treasury will continue to hold accountable those who threaten U.S. interests and the freedoms of our citizens,” Bessent remarked, indicating that the U.S. government remains vigilant in its stance toward perceived injustices abroad.