Government supporters came out in defense of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) after a report by the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo about Alexandre de Moraes’ actions against Bolsonaro supporters, while opposition supporters spoke of the minister’s use of “illegal devices.”
Under confidentiality, political and legal allies and ministers of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) interviewed by CNN spoke about the need to protect Moraes’ image as a “defender of democracy”.
For Lula’s entourage, the alleged informal use of the structure of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) under the presidency of Moraes to support investigations against Bolsonaro supporters in the Supreme Court has little legal impact, but a relevant political potential.
A friend of Lula said that the messages exchanged between Moraes’ subordinates revealed by the report should serve to feed pro-Bolsonaro profiles on social media, which will seek to label the case as a “right-wing Vaza Jato” – in comparison with the revelations involving the Lava Jato task force and former judge Sergio Moro.
Speaking to CNN On Wednesday (14), the Minister of Agrarian Development, Paulo Teixeira, defended the minister. “Moraes collected lawful evidence. Making any connection between this fact and the ‘Vaza Jato’ has only one objective: they want to use this fact to absolve Jair Bolsonaro,” he declared.
Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry and Commerce, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), also stated on Wednesday that Brazil “owes a lot” to Moraes. “A great jurist, upright and committed to ethical and legal issues,” he declared.
Opposition wants impeachment
On the opposition side, parliamentarians have suggested opening impeachment proceedings against the STF minister and former president of the TSE.
“The annulment of all these acts of the TSE, regarding the president, must be demanded. [Jair Bolsonaro, do PL, hoje ex-presidente]of Alexandre de Moraes, the impeachment of Alexandre de Moraes and the end of these fake news investigations”, stated federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP).
Another son of the former president, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) also called for the extinction of “all trials” against his father in which Moraes had any participation, given “his predisposition to condemn him”. “Moraes must answer for an attack against democracy”, he stated.
In the Senate, signatures are being collected to open impeachment proceedings against Moraes. In the Chamber of Deputies, members of parliament have been lobbying for the creation of a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry (CPI) on the matter.
Another opposition action came from the Novo party, which filed a criminal complaint with the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) against Moraes for ideological falsehood and forming a gang.
Public collection for impeachment
The opposition intends to present the impeachment request against Moraes only in September, in a decision based on two reasons, according to CNN: the expectation of new revelations from Folha de S.Paulo and the intention of gaining political strength for the request.
Senators want to carry out a public collection of signatures for the minister’s impeachment by September 7th – the day on which Brazil’s Independence Day is celebrated and which, in recent years, has been the date of right-wing street protests –, delivering the document to the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG), on September 9th.
So far, the expectation is that Pacheco will not move forward with the requests in the Senate, as he understands that there are still not enough elements to move forward with the process, the CNN with sources close to the President of Congress.
STF ministers come out in defense
If there are differences of opinion in the legal field about Moraes’ conduct, in the Federal Supreme Court (STF), ministers have come out in defense of their colleague.
At an event in Brasília, Minister Flávio Dino said on Wednesday that “those who do their duty are attacked.” “I couldn’t find in which chapter, which precept this (revelation by Folha de S.Paulo) violates any type of determination of our legal system,” he said.
During the opening of a session at the Court, the president of the STF, Luís Roberto Barroso, spoke of a “fictitious storm” against Moraes. “All the information requested by Minister Alexandre de Moraes referred to people who were already being investigated, therefore, inquiries that were already open,” he declared.
Moraes’ position
On Wednesday (14), Alexandre de Moraes spoke publicly for the first time about the Folha de S.Paulo report. Moraes stated that “all procedures were carried out within the scope of existing investigations.”
The minister had already made a statement in a note from his office, in which he stated that, during the course of the investigations, several determinations, requests and requests were made to numerous bodies, including the TSE.
“The reports simply described the illicit posts made on social media, in an objective manner, as they were directly linked to investigations into digital militias,” he stated in the note.
“All procedures were official, regular and are duly documented in the inquiries and investigations underway at the STF, with full participation from the Attorney General’s Office,” he added.
* With information from Clarissa Oliveira, Caio Junqueira and Débora Bergamasco, from CNN, in São Paulo and Brasília
Source: CNN Brasil

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