Rubio denies US role in Bolsonaro’s departure, Trump offers open-ended stay

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that Washington was not directly involved in Flavio Bolsonaro’s arrangements to leave Brazil after his election loss.

President Donald Trump said that Bolsonaro could, however, stay in the United States 'as long as he wants.'

Bolsonaro, who lost his bid to be president in Sunday’s run-off vote, arrived with his family in the US on Wednesday after a court ordered his passports to be seized amid multiple investigations against him.

Rubio told a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia, that 'the US government was not involved directly' in arrangements Bolsonaro made to leave his country.

Following the vote, the 45-year-old left Brazil via Argentina and Ecuador in a plane reported by some US media to be chartered by Jason Miller, an adviser to Trump.

The plane that transported the Bolsonaro family to the US was paid for by an intermediary from a US bank account, according to the airline’s head.

The White House has not commented on the flight, but Trump called the Brazilian election 'disgraceful.'

A Brazilian diplomatic source told AFP that Argentina’s diplomatic representative had been summoned for a 'routine meeting' to 'provide explanations' on the flight.

Argentina’s foreign minister later denied that Brazil had asked Buenos Aires to explain its role in the operation.

Since arriving in the US, Bolsonaro has claimed to be the true leader of Brazil and said he left the country because he was a victim of 'persecution.'