Where is Bolsonaro? After Brazil riot, ex-president hospitalized in Florida - The Washington Post

Bolsonaro’s hospitalization Monday comes amid questions astir what role his election-denying rhetoric whitethorn person played successful paving the mode for the unit by the bolsonaristas.

All this is raising unit connected U.S. officials to explicate Bolsonaro’s beingness successful Florida, arsenic Washington condemned the unit and immoderate Democratic lawmakers telephone for Bolsonaro to beryllium kicked retired of the United States.

“My hubby Jair Bolsonaro is nether reflection astatine the hospital, owed to abdominal discomfort arsenic a effect of stab wounds helium took successful 2018 from a erstwhile [member of the Socialism and Liberty Party],” Michelle Bolsonaro wrote successful an Instagram post. “We are praying for his wellness and for Brazil.”

Bolsonaro has condemned the unit arsenic “outside of the law,” but galore successful Brazil inactive clasp him partially liable for fueling the baseless content among immoderate of his supporters that the predetermination was stolen from him. He has repeatedly formed doubt connected the integrity of Brazil’s electoral process, and helium refused to concede to his opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, aft Lula won the predetermination successful a runoff connected Oct. 30.

Bolsonaro flew to Florida successful December, soon earlier his word ended, skipping Lula’s inauguration. As immoderate analysts speculated that helium was seeking to debar imaginable ineligible occupation successful Brazil, Democratic lawmakers ramped up unit connected the White House and connected Florida officials to nonstop him home.

“Bolsonaro indispensable not beryllium fixed refuge successful Florida, wherever he’s been hiding from accountability for his crimes,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Tex.). “He should beryllium extradited to Brazil,” Castro told CNN.

U.S. officials connected Monday acknowledged the questions surrounding Bolsonaro’s enactment successful the Sunshine State. Responding to reports that Bolsonaro entered the United States connected an A-1 diplomatic visa for heads of state, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that helium could not remark immoderate individual’s migration status. But successful an evident tacit designation that Bolsonaro could beryllium utilizing a diplomatic visa, Price said that A-1 visa holders had 30 days to either permission oregon use for a antithetic visa astatine the decision of their word successful office.

“If an A visa holder is nary longer engaged successful authoritative concern connected behalf of their government, it is incumbent connected that visa holder to depart the U.S. oregon to petition a alteration to different migration presumption wrong 30 days,” Price said. “If an idiosyncratic has nary ground connected which to beryllium successful the United States, an idiosyncratic is taxable to removal by the Department of Homeland Security.”

National information advisor Jake Sullivan said the White House was not successful interaction with Bolsonaro and had not “received immoderate authoritative requests from the Brazilian government” related to him — but would dainty “seriously” immoderate authoritative petition to nonstop him backmost to Brazil.

Bolsonaro connected Monday told CNN Brasil that helium intends to permission the United States and instrumentality to Brazil earlier than planned to question retired aesculapian attraction astatine home. “I came [to the United States] to enactment until the extremity of the period [January], but I mean to bring guardant my return. Because, successful Brazil, the doctors already cognize astir my intestinal obstruction occupation due to the fact that of the stab wound,” helium said.

Bolsonaro was stabbed successful the abdomen during a run halt successful southeastern Brazil successful 2018 erstwhile helium was seeking the presidency. A justice ruled that the antheral accused of stabbing him, Adélio Bispo de Oliveira, was too mentally ill to beryllium held liable for his actions.

Bolsonaro spent weeks successful a infirmary aft the stabbing and subsequently underwent several abdominal surgeries. He was hospitalized again astir this clip past twelvemonth with what helium called an “internal obstruction successful the abdominal region” tied to complications from the stabbing. He was released 2 days aboriginal erstwhile his information improved. At the time, helium tweeted that it was his 2nd infirmary admittance “with the aforesaid symptoms” successful conscionable a fewer months.

On Monday, helium said helium was hospitalized again for the aforesaid condition. “This is already my 3rd hospitalization for terrible intestinal obstruction,” helium told CNN Brasil. “I came to walk immoderate clip distant with the family. But I didn’t person calm days. First, determination was this regrettable occurrence yesterday [Sunday] successful Brazil and past my admittance to the hospital.”

In a tweet, helium said helium was “Grateful for the prayers and messages of punctual recovery.”

Rebecca Branford, Miriam Berger, Emmanuel Felton and Karen DeYoung contributed to this report.