The Trump administration has escalated tensions with Brazil by sanctioning Viviane Barci de Moraes, wife of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the criminal case against Jair Bolsonaro. The U.S. also revoked visas for six senior Brazilian officials and targeted the Lex Institute, a family-linked financial entity it suspects could be used to evade sanctions.
Brazil’s government denounced the move as an attack on its sovereignty, while Justice Moraes called the sanctions against his wife “illegal and regrettable,” warning that they undermine judicial independence. The U.S. Treasury signaled that additional Brazilian officials could face penalties, marking a sharp departure from the traditional use of Magnitsky Act sanctions, which are typically reserved for corruption and human rights abuses.