Brazil Probes Alleged U.S. Funding Targeting Supreme Court Integrity
Attorney General Jorge Messias has requested a Federal Police probe into a reported $1 million U.S. State Department grant targeting Brazil's high court.
Brazil’s Attorney General Jorge Messias requested a formal federal investigation on Thursday into whether U.S. government funds were directed to domestic organizations to challenge the authority of the country's Supreme Federal Court (STF). The move escalates diplomatic friction just days before Brazilians head to the polls for the first round of the highly polarized presidential election on October 4.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGU) submitted a formal request to both the Federal Police and the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (PGR). The action follows a report by The Guardian revealing that the Trump administration sought to direct $1 million from the State Department’s Human Rights and Democracy Fund to a program titled "Countering Lawfare and Censorship in Brazil". The initiative was designed to finance civil society groups opposing what conservative critics describe as judicial overreach and censorship by the Brazilian high court.
In a statement published on social media, Messias warned that foreign political interference in domestic democratic institutions "cannot be tolerated," particularly during an active election cycle. "Our democracy belongs to Brazilians. And so it must remain," Messias wrote, calling the funding revelations "especially serious in light of Brazil's electoral process".
The STF has been at the center of Brazil's intense political divide. Led by figures like Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the court has aggressively pursued disinformation networks and political actors accused of undermining democratic institutions. While supporters view the court as a vital shield for democracy, conservative allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro and his son, presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, accuse the judiciary of abusing its power to suppress political speech.
The timing of the probe adds a layer of volatility to the final stretch of the campaign. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's coalition has already petitioned the top electoral court to investigate potential foreign interference, alleging that U.S. conservative networks have actively worked to boost the Bolsonaro campaign. The Federal Police will now determine whether any international transfers violated Brazilian sovereignty or campaign finance laws.