Good morning! President Bolsonaro is at odds with the Supreme Court once again. The Biden administration makes its first visit to Brazil. Rising respiratory infections could be masking a Covid spurt.
Bolsonaro v. Supreme Court escalates further
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ruled to include President Jair Bolsonaro in a criminal investigation into underground and illegal networks spreading fake news online. He did so upon the request of electoral courts, after Mr. Bolsonaro voiced — for the umpteenth time — unsubstantiated claims that the Brazilian electronic voting system is susceptible to fraud.
Why it matters. The president called the decision an “act of intimidation” and threatened to react “outside the bounds of the Constitution.”
- “So the Supreme Court calls [for an investigation], which it will conduct itself, and then deliver the punishment? No comment,” he said during a radio interview. “Is it within the bounds of the Constitution? No. So, the antidote to it is also outside of these bounds.”
Probe. The president’s vitriol and martyrdom aside, the Bolsonaro camp does have reason to claim the probe is politically motivated, despite mounting evidence to indicate that the president’s inner circle does operate shady social media troll armies.
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