witch hunt

And when charged with federal crimes over his handling of highly classified material, and his effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, he dismissed the charges as a witch hunt choreographed by President Biden and his attorney general, a claim that had no basis in fact.

In his New York Times article, Lula insisted the trial was "not a 'witch hunt'".

Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest, did not attend the trial but has in the past called it a "witch hunt".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Brazil's Supreme Court had "unjustly ruled to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro" and threatened to "respond accordingly to this witch hunt".

Bolsonaro has always maintained his innocence and has called the trial a "witch hunt", arguing it was politically motivated.