Jason Miller, a former aide to former President Donald Trump, said he was detained and questioned by federal police for three hours Tuesday at Brasília International Airport in Brazil.
Miller was detained as part of an investigation into “anti-democratic acts” after attending the Conservative Political Action Conference in Brazil and meeting with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, according to the Portuguese-language outlet Metrópoles, which first reported the matter.
Images shared on social media by conservative activist Matthew Tyrmand show him and Miller with Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo. Tyrmand tweeted that he and Miller were “being detained by Supreme Court anti-Bolsonaristas.”
BREAKING: being detained at airport in Brasilia. Sitting on tarmac as @GETTRofficial CEO & top Trump advisor @JasonMillerinDC is being interrogated by Supreme Court anti-Bolsonaristas on day of massive pro @jairbolsonaro rally after we met w/Bolsonaros. pic.twitter.com/RHkSxAajgI
— Matthew Tyrmand (@MatthewTyrmand) September 7, 2021
Miller, who founded the pro-Trump social media platform GETTR, told Forbes that he and others were stopped by Brazilian police and “questioned for three hours” while departing the capital city Brasília. He told the outlet he was “not accused of any wrongdoing” and police told him they only “wanted to talk.” He noted police later released him to fly back to the U.S. (RELATED: ‘Between 99 And 100%’: Jason Miller Says Trump Is ‘Definitely’ Running In 2024)
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre De Moraes gave the order to detain and question Miller, according to Metrópoles. The justice previously ruled in August that Bolsonaro should be investigated for his allegations that Brazil’s federal elections in 2022 will be susceptible to voter fraud through the country’s electronic voting system.
Bolsonaro has blasted the Supreme Court for ordering investigations into him and his allies, Reuters reported. He also rallied thousands of supporters in major cities across Brazil on Tuesday, the country’s Independence Day, where he questioned the integrity of upcoming elections, according to The New York Times.
A group of left-wing politicians and organizers from multiple countries released a statement Monday warning the demonstrations in Brazil could become an “insurrection” and erode democratic norms in the country, referencing the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump and several allies, including Miller, made similar allegations of widespread voter fraud during the Nov. 2020 presidential election and called for investigations into electronic voting systems and state election laws.