Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro
Photo:
evaristo sa/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
The rule of law is so important it has to be shredded to be saved. That’s the message from American politicians campaigning for the U.S. extradition of former Brazilian President
Jair Bolsonaro
to Brazil, though he hasn’t been charged with a crime.
Brazilian leaders on both sides of the political aisle have condemned the storming of Brazil’s Congress and the Supreme Court in Brasilia on Sunday by a pro-Bolsonaro mob. Police were late to the scene but put down the melee. Some 1,500 people have been detained and may be prosecuted. It’s not clear what the organizers had in mind, but the vandalism will do more to damage Mr. Bolsonaro’s legacy than to boost it. Any hope he may have had for a political comeback is diminished.
The former President, who is in Florida after having refused to attend the inauguration of his successor, has also denounced Sunday’s events. But President
Luiz Inácio
“Lula” da Silva says Mr. Bolsonaro is responsible for “encouraging” what happened, which could stand some specific elaboration and evidence. “All of this will be investigated very strongly and quickly,” he said in a speech Sunday evening.
Brazilian prosecutors have obliged Lula by opening an investigation into whether Mr. Bolsonaro played a role. But it’s still early in the process, and because the courts in Brazil have been politicized there are legitimate questions about whether he can get a fair hearing. Mr. Bolsonaro is in the U.S. legally and has sought no official protection. If there is a formal extradition request from Brazil, U.S. courts will hear the case based on the evidence.
But that legal process is too much for American Democrats, who want verdict first, proof later. New York Rep.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
issued her verdict almost immediately on Sunday, tweeting “We must…
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