(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has applied for a
six-month tourist visa to remain in the United States, his lawyer
said on Monday, despite calls for any US visas held by Bolsonaro to
be revoked following violent protests in Brasilia, trend reports citing
al
arabiya .
The United States received his application on Friday, his
lawyer, Felipe Alexandre, said, adding that Bolsonaro will remain
in the United States while his application is pending.
“He would like to take some time off, clear his head, and enjoy
being a tourist in the United States for a few months before
deciding what his next step will be,” Alexandre said in an email
response to Reuters.
“Whether or not he will use the full six months will be up to
him and whatever strategy we agree to embark on based on his plans
as they develop,” Alexandre added.
The Financial Times first reported that Bolsonaro had requested
a tourist visa.
A State Department spokesperson said visa records are
confidential under US law, adding that the department cannot
discuss details of individual visa cases.
Far-right Bolsonaro flew to Florida two days before his term
ended on Jan. 1 and leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
took office, before the former president's supporters stormed the
country's capital.
Supporters of Bolsonaro ransacked Brazil's Congress, Supreme
Court and presidential palace, calling for a military coup to
overturn the October election that Lula won.
Brazil's Supreme Court has agreed to open an investigation into
Bolsonaro for allegedly encouraging anti-democratic protests that
ended in the storming of government buildings by his supporters in
Brasilia.
Earlier this month, 41 Democratic members of the US House of
Representatives asked US President Joe Biden's administration on
Thursday to cooperate with Brazil's investigation into violent
protests in Brasilia and revoke any US visas held by Bolsonaro.
The State Department has said repeatedly its policy is not to
discuss specific visa cases.
The State Department has said it was incumbent on an individual
who entered the United States on a so-called“A” visa reserved for
diplomats and heads of state to depart the country within 30 days
or apply for a change of immigration status if they are no longer
engaged in official business.
Bolsonaro is believed to have entered on such a visa.