State Department: Flávio Bolsonaro and family to get U.S. visas after election loss

A senior State Department official said the Trump administration will issue visas to Flávio Bolsonaro and his family, after reports that the Brazilian senator left the country following his runoff defeat to Lula.

The Trump administration will issue visas to Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro and his family, a senior State Department official said Tuesday, after news outlets reported that he had left Brazil following his loss in the presidential runoff.

Brazil's Supreme Court on Monday ordered Flávio Bolsonaro to surrender his passports as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering. Flávio Bolsonaro, who denies wrongdoing, said the same day, before reports of his departure emerged, that he had "never thought about leaving the country" and would stay to lead the opposition.

Brazil's presidential palace, the Palácio do Planalto, in Brasília

The son of former President Jair Bolsonaro lost the Oct. 25 runoff to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by more than 4.4 million votes. He initially refused to accept the result, but his party said Monday that it accepted it. Trump had said the vote "looked like another rigged election."

Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, called the departure "shameful," saying that "a person who sneaks out of their country must have something to hide." Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, said that "losing an election is not grounds for asylum" and called on the administration to tell Congress whether it played a role in the departure.

Flávio's brother Eduardo Bolsonaro lives in the U.S. and was convicted in absentia in June for illegally lobbying the Trump administration.