Brazil’s attorney general seeks probe into alleged US funding of anti-court groups
Jorge Messias called for law enforcement to investigate a reported US funding plan ahead of Brazil’s 4 October presidential vote. The Guardian’s claims have not been independently confirmed in the source material.
Brazilian Attorney General Jorge Messias has called on law enforcement to investigate alleged US efforts to influence Brazilian politics by funding groups opposed to the Supreme Court.
His request followed a report by The Guardian, published on Wednesday, that the Trump administration planned to award $1 million to right-wing civil groups in Brazil. The report said the proposed support formed part of a plan to redirect $175 million from a US State Department human rights fund to causes around the world.
Messias said in a social media post that foreign interference “cannot be tolerated” and described the report as an alert to Brazilian sovereignty. He also cited external pressure on Brazilian institutions during the country’s electoral process.
The Guardian said the reported Brazil funding was intended to support efforts framed as countering “lawfare and censorship”. The available information does not establish that the funding was approved, transferred or received, and gives no details about the investigation’s scope or next steps.
The call comes ahead of Brazil’s first-round presidential vote on 4 October. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is seeking re-election, while polls cited in the source have shown him virtually tied with Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
US-Brazil relations have been strained by Donald Trump’s support for Bolsonaro and measures related to his prosecution. Brazil’s Supreme Court convicted Jair Bolsonaro in 2025 over involvement in an alleged coup plot; Trump criticised the case and imposed tariffs on certain Brazilian goods, which he later removed.
