U.S. and Brazil lawmakers seek to cooperate on investigation of Brasilia riots

Aides to U.S. lawmakers from the Jan. 6 committee have engaged in early talks to cooperate with Brazilian lawmakers looking to investigate the storming of the capital Brasilia by protesters urging a military coup to overthrow the president, according to two people familiar with the matter.

U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson, chairman of the

recently dissolved House of Representatives committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, is one of the lawmakers whose office is involved in the talks, according to one of the sources, who requested anonymity because the discussions are preliminary.

“I am extremely proud of the January 6 Select Committee’s work and final report. If (it) serves as a model for similar investigations, I will help out in anyway possible,” Thompson said in a written statement.

Brazil’s Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco has also discussed the idea of such an exchange with the top U.S. diplomat in Brasilia, said a third person familiar with the conversation.

The source close to Pacheco said the U.S. embassy’s chargé d’affaires, Douglas Koneff, was receptive to the idea of sharing know-how from the investigation of then-President Donald Trump’s supporters who carried out the Jan. 6 attack in a failed attempt to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory over Trump.

Pacheco’s office and the U.S. embassy in Brasilia did not immediately respond to requests by Reuters for comment.

The Jan. 6 committee’s final report, released last month, said Trump should face criminal charges for inciting the deadly riot.

The report listed 17 specific findings, discussed the legal implications of actions by the former president and some of his associates, and included criminal referrals of Trump and other individuals to the Justice Department.

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