The fact that the embassy released a statement, followed by a statement from the State Department spokesman [Ned Price], means that the US government is very concerned.
Senate Republicans have blocked the approval of the ambassadorial nominee for Brazil, Elizabeth Bagley. Does this limit the ability of the US government to make its positions known in elections? We have an excellent embassy in Brazil, and our chargé d’affaires [Douglas Koneff] is a very good servant. He has reported the situation to Washington and expressed US views [to the Bolsonaro government].
That said, in a world defined by protocol, an ambassador is better than a chargé d’affaires. Elizabeth Bagley was a good choice. The fact that the Foreign Affairs Committee did not approve her name was unfortunate. And it has a very negative impact because of the importance of [the two countries’] relationship and the timing. The Republicans knew that.