Staff Reports
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro found himself in hot water on Wednesday after police raided his home investigating forged COVID-19 vaccine records. Despite being a former leader of the nation, Bolsonaro was not above the law as authorities seized his cellphone as part of the probe. The investigation is to determine if Bolsonaro used falsified documents to bypass travel restrictions to enter the U.S. during the pandemic and has allegedly made at least four trips to the United States during such a time.
Bolsonaro’s Home Raided Over Allegations He Used Forged COVID Vaccine Docs To Travel To The US via @DailyCaller https://t.co/sKRqJfifNr
— Chris 🇺🇸 (@Chris_1791) May 4, 2023
Bolsonaro never shied away from his disdain for the COVID-19 vaccine, a belief that has served as a basis for the left to attack his character. The former president told reporters that he never claimed to have been vaccinated, and he is not required to do so as an ordinary citizen. Bolsonaro also rebuffed alleged claims saying that the U.S. immigration authorities never requested his vaccine record.
The former president’s critics are taking potshots at his decision to turn down the vaccine, but Bolsonaro doesn’t care. He made it clear that his decision was personal. He once joked that Pfizer-produced vaccines would turn people into bearded women or crocodiles, which is hilarious and proves that he’s got a healthy sense of humor.
Brazil has been dealing with the aftermath of a highly controversial election in 2022, which Bolsonaro lost to the left-leaning Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The former president has refused to concede, making him the subject of renewed legal scrutiny of his actions. The most recent probe focused on Bolsonaro was due to an attack his supporters carried out after Da Silva’s inauguration on Brazil’s Congress and Supreme Court.
It’s an unfortunate reality that sometimes politicians find themselves at the center of controversy, but that doesn’t give the left a free pass to pile on. It’s time to admit that Jair Bolsonaro is a good person who made a few mistakes along the way. If the left wants to make a real difference in Brazil, they should work with the conservative right to make positive changes, not focus on bringing down prominent politicians with smear campaigns and dubious investigations.
