Bolsonaro doubles down on attacks against Supreme Court

Speaking to a local radio station in the city of Cuiabá, in the Center-West region, President Jair Bolsonaro reiterated his intention to present impeachment requests to the Senate against two Supreme Court justices who have become a nuisance in his eyes.

Mr. Bolsonaro believes the country’s top court stepped out of line in mandating the arrest of former Congressman Roberto Jefferson — an ally of the president’s — for attacking democratic institutions on social media. “I won’t try to co-opt senators in any way, shape, or form to vote on the requests,” he added.

This latest remark is a trademark move by Mr. Bolsonaro — a token (and usually minuscule) sign of backpedaling to accompany an upping of the anti-democratic ante. Just yesterday, Mr. Bolsonaro’s top security officer said during an interview that the Armed Forces could stage an intervention — a barely coded reference to a coup d’etat.

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