Insider

Covid hearings give Defense Minister a pass. For now

defense Senators Eduardo Braga (standing) and chairman Omar Aziz. Photo: Marcos Oliveira/SF/CC-BY 4.0
Senators Eduardo Braga (standing) and chairman Omar Aziz. Photo: Marcos Oliveira/SF/CC-BY 4.0

Returning from a two-week holiday, the Senate’s Covid hearings committee had planned to vote on a request to summon Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto. Opposition senators want to question him about his role in negotiations for vaccine purchases while serving as President Jair Bolsonaro’s Chief of Staff — until March of this year — and coordinator of the federal government’s Covid response task force.

The committee decided to put the request to one side, however, as a result of the current tensions between Brazil’s branches of government. Just a couple of weeks ago, Mr. Braga Netto reportedly threatened Congress with a military coup if lawmakers fail to indulge Mr. Bolsonaro’s request to reinstate paper ballots in the 2022 election.

Moreover, electoral courts have opened an investigation that could make Mr. Bolsonaro ineligible for office if it is proven that his attacks on the reliability of Brazil’s voting system are criminal. The government doesn’t hold a majority in the Senate hearings committee, and those who are opposed to or independent from the government have enough votes to approve requests.

However, without reaching a consensus, they decided to leave the summoning of Defense Minister Braga Netto for another day.