The Minister of the Supreme Court of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes, participates successful the plenary league of the Supreme Court (STF) successful Brazil connected Feb. 20, 2025, aft the Attorney General's Office (PGR) indicts the erstwhile president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, for plotting a coup d'etat successful 2023.
Ton Molina | Nurphoto | Getty Images
The U.S. Treasury Department connected Wednesday imposed sanctions connected Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has been a people of disapproval by President Donald Trump for his handling of ineligible cases involving erstwhile Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Shortly aft those sanctions were announced, Trump imposed a 50% tariff connected imports from Brazil, with a connection from the White House referencing de Moraes.
"President Trump is defending American companies from extortion, protecting American persons from governmental persecution, safeguarding American escaped code from censorship, and redeeming the American system from being taxable to the arbitrary edicts of a tyrannical overseas judge," the connection said.
The sanctions travel 5 months aft Trump's societal media company, Trump Media, sued de Moraes for implicit an bid by the justness to the video hosting institution Rumble to suspend the accounts of a "well-known politically outspoken user" of Rumble, whose services Trump Media uses.
Trump antecedently said that the 50% tariffs connected imports from Brazil are partially successful retaliation for the ongoing transgression prosecution of Bolsonaro, an state of his.
De Moraes past twelvemonth drew the ire of mega-billionaire Elon Musk, who astatine the clip was a adjacent state implicit Trump, by blocking Musk's X societal media level nationwide successful Brazil for failing to comply with orders banning immoderate idiosyncratic accounts and to region definite content.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro talks to the media, aft the Supreme Court voted that helium should basal proceedings for allegedly attempting a coup aft his 2022 electoral defeat, successful Brasilia, Brazil, March 26, 2025.
Adriano Machado | Reuters
"Alexandre de Moraes has taken it upon himself to beryllium justice and assemblage successful an unlawful witch hunt against U.S. and Brazilian citizens and companies," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent successful a connection Wednesday announcing the sanctions, which would artifact immoderate spot de Moraes mightiness person successful the United States.
"De Moraes is liable for an oppressive run of censorship, arbitrary detentions that interruption quality rights, and politicized prosecutions — including against erstwhile President Jair Bolsonaro," Bessent said.
"Today's enactment makes wide that Treasury volition proceed to clasp accountable those who endanger U.S. interests and the freedoms of our citizens."
The Washington Post connected July 17 reported that Eduardo Bolsonaro, a lad of Bolsonaro, was "working intimately with the White House to enforce sanctions on" de Moraes. Eduardo Bolsonaro is simply a national congressman successful Brazil.
De Moraes is the alleged rapporteur of cases against Jair Bolsonaro, and is sitting connected a five-judge Supreme Court sheet that is overseeing the erstwhile president's proceedings for allegedly trying to signifier a coup against sitting Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and different charges.
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