U.S. lawmakers are reportedly in talks with their Brazilian counterparts about collaborating on an investigation into the violent protests that engulfed Brasilia last weekend, according to Reuters.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) — who served as the chair of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol — is one of the lawmakers taking part in such discussions, Reuters reported.
“I am extremely proud of the January 6 Select Committee’s work and final report,” Thompson said. “If (it) serves as a model for similar investigations, I will help out in anyway possible.”
Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the nation’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace on Sunday, mirroring in many ways the events of the Jan. 6 riot in the U.S.
Bolsonaro had voiced concerns about voter fraud in the months leading up to Brazil’s presidential election in October. After losing to now-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro refused to officially concede the election despite allowing for the transfer of power.
Several former members of the Jan. 6 committee have spoken out about the striking similarities between the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and Sunday’s riots in Brasilia.
“Democracies of the world must act fast to make clear there will be no support for right-wing insurrectionists storming the Brazilian Congress,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) tweeted. “These fascists modeling themselves after Trump’s Jan. 6 rioters must end up in the same place: prison.”
“What happens here has an impact around the world,” former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) also wrote on Twitter. “This is why sane American leadership is essential. Truth matters, lies destroy.”