Rubio denies US role in Bolsonaro's departure

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the Trump administration did not facilitate Flávio Bolsonaro's departure to the United States following his election loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro arrived in Miami on Wednesday, a day after the State Department said that Bolsonaro and his family will be granted US visas after his weekend loss in a hotly contested race.

Rubio told reporters in Atlanta that the US government was not directly involved in any of the actions taken regarding Bolsonaro's departure, noting that the president made the decision to allow him entry into the country.

Bolsonaro, who had the tacit support of former President Donald Trump, has refused to concede the election and has called the results fraudulent without providing evidence.

Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup and has also refused to acknowledge his 2022 loss to Lula.

Bolsonaro, who will lose his seat in Brazil's new legislature starting February 1, claimed on Instagram that he is a victim of persecution and declared himself the 'true president-elect of Brazil' in a letter on Wednesday.