Brazilian Supreme Court Justice, Flavio Dino, has ordered an investigation into links between the Rockbridge Network, a donor organization co-founded by US Vice President JD Vance, and the presidential campaign of Flavio Bolsonaro.

Dino directed federal police on Tuesday to investigate whether the network provided financial resources, personnel, services or other economic benefits to Bolsonaro’s campaign.

Brazilian law strictly prohibits presidential candidates from receiving foreign campaign funding or assistance of any kind.

The investigation follows an election campaign shaped partly by the relationship between US President Donald Trump and the Bolsonaro family, whose political movement has sought Washington’s support against Brazil’s current government.

In addition to Vance, several figures associated with Rockbridge are senior members of Trump’s administration, including White House political adviser James Blair, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Trump has repeatedly defended former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Trump portrayed the prosecution as politically motivated and called for Bolsonaro to be spared punishment.

The move made the former Brazilian president’s legal case a major source of tension between Washington and Brasilia.

In July 2025, Trump announced steep tariffs on Brazilian imports and later imposed sanctions on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw Bolsonaro’s case.

The measures sharply strained relations between Washington and Brasília, with Lula condemning the tariffs as political pressure.

Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo played a central role in seeking US intervention on behalf of his father, moving to the US to lobby Trump’s allies and publicly welcoming sanctions against Brazilian officials.

Bolsonaro flees Brazil after losing presidential election: Report

Flávio Bolsonaro reportedly fled Brazil for the US after failing to surrender his passports under a Supreme Court order, with police investigating his whereabouts.

Flavio Bolsonaro, a senator who ran for president on a promise to pardon his father, also cultivated ties with Trump’s administration and supported US pressure on Brazil.

However, Flavio later urged Washington to delay additional tariffs, arguing that the measures could benefit Lula electorally.

A Reuters investigation published on October 24 reported that two US State Department officials had pursued measures intended to help return the Bolsonaro family to power, including sanctions and other pressure on Brazilian institutions.

Reuters could not establish the extent to which the officials were acting on direct orders from Trump or Rubio.

The presidential election ended in a defeat for the Bolsonaro political camp, as Lula won reelection on October 25 with approximately 51.8% of the vote against 48.2% for Flávio.

Trump questioned Lula’s victory without presenting evidence of fraud, saying the result looked like “another rigged election.”

Flavio Bolsonaro initially sought to challenge the election result but later withdrew his request to annul the vote, while saying he would lead the opposition to Lula’s government.