He didn't just chicken out, he invited the formerly sanctioned judge to the white house.
> the sanctions were lifted since the U.S. saw the passage of an important amnesty bill by Brazil's lower house as a signal that lawfare conditions in Brazil are improving
This is complete bullshit. No amnesty law was passed. Even if it had passed, the judges have already declared their intent to render it ineffective by simply declaring it unconstitutional regardless of legal basis. What's currently being discussed is a "dosimetry" law which reduces jail time, nothing more.
The truth is Trump leveraged the Magnitsky sanctions into a rare earths deal with the brazilian authorities, giving the US privileged access to the resources until 2030 and increasing their leverage against China.
A truly disgusting turn of events, indeed. The judge joined the president of Brazil in giving a speech on national television, like a supreme leader. He won.
