Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Thursday’s conviction of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro a “witch hunt,” and vowed that the U.S. would “respond accordingly” to the decision.
Hours after Brazil’s Supreme Court found Bolsonaro guilty of planning to overturn the country’s 2022 election, a plot that included discussions of assassinating the president-elect, the high court sentenced him to 27 years and three months in prison.
Rubio did not elaborate on what a potential U.S. response might look like but called out the judge overseeing the case by name.