Trump Administration Revokes Brazil Ambassador's Visa Amid Election Row
The Trump administration has revoked the visa of Brazil's ambassador to the United States, a move it described as a reciprocal response to Brazil's denial of visas last month for two American diplomats and its failure to approve President Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador to Brazil.
According to State Department officials, the decision was delayed several times to give Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva room to back down. Officials said the step could be quickly reversed if Brazil takes appropriate action and accepts Mr. Trump's ambassadorial choice.
Brazil's government responded with a statement accusing the United States of not following international law in nominating its ambassador. It said the visa revocation was politically driven, with the aim of influencing Brazil's election in October.
The relationship between Mr. Trump and Mr. Lula has been tense for some time. They have clashed over policies in the Western Hemisphere, particularly regarding Venezuela and Cuba. Mr. Trump has also shown fondness for Jair Bolsonaro, Lula's predecessor and main political rival, who is currently under house arrest. Bolsonaro's son, Flavio, is Lula's main opponent in the upcoming election.
Despite the visa revocation, Brazil's ambassador, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, is not being expelled from the United States, according to a State Department official. Viotti, a former senior United Nations official, could be allowed to resume her duties if the Brazilian government accepts Mr. Trump's nominee, former Florida House speaker Danny Perez.
Mr. Perez was nominated in June. The Brazilian government had reportedly signalled it would not act on the appointment until after the first round of Brazil's election on October 4. His nomination was submitted to the US Senate on June 1, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on July 22 to send it to the full Senate, where a vote was expected by the end of this week.
Brazil's government said the United States should have asked for consent to send Mr. Perez in private, as established by the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations, before making the nomination public. It added that the request for Mr. Perez was still under analysis.
The dispute dates back to last month, when Brazil denied visas for Riley Barnes, the assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labour, and one of his top aides. Reports had emerged that the two planned to criticise Lula or the election process. The State Department denied those allegations, saying the two had planned to visit Brasilia on July 27-30 to meet government officials, religious leaders and others about "election integrity", religious freedom and freedom of expression. It described the visit as routine and called any suggestion of a ploy to undermine an election a "baseless lie".
On Tuesday, August 4, Brazil's government stood by its assessment, saying the two Americans were planning to visit the country to cast doubt on the integrity of the Brazilian electoral system, in an unacceptable attempt to interfere in the national political process.
Last week, a top Brazilian diplomat told journalists that the government was expecting a response from Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The revocation of Ambassador Viotti's visa is the latest development in a diplomatic dispute that shows no signs of resolution. Both nations have invoked reciprocity and international norms, leaving the future of their bilateral relations uncertain.
