By Luciana Magalhaes and Andre Romani
SAO PAULO, May 27 (Reuters) – Brazilian Senator and presidential contender Flavio Bolsonaro said he met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Wednesday, following an Oval Office visit with President Donald Trump the day before.
The meetings come as the senator navigates a political crisis sparked after he acknowledged that he asked a now-jailed banker for money to fund a film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. The senator has denied any wrongdoing.
The senator lost ground in opinion polls after the case went public this month, although he remains mostly statistically tied with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in second-round scenarios for the October election.
The talks with U.S. authorities this week included discussions on fighting organized crime, rare earths and freedom of expression, according to the senator.
The health condition of his father, who is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest after being convicted of plotting a coup, was also addressed, including during the meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, Bolsonaro said.
Lula met with Trump at the White House earlier this month.
(Reporting by Andre Romani and Luciana Magalhaes in Sao PauloEditing by Rod Nickel and Brendan O’Boyle)
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