Brazil: Senator Marcos do Val Claims Jair Bolsonaro Plotted Coup Against Lula

A magazine in Brazil revealed recordings of a senator Thursday saying that former President Jair Bolsonaro had asked for assistance in a scheme to overturn the October Brazil elections and retain himself in power.

The proposal was discussed when Sen. Marcos do Val met with Bolsonaro and congressman Daniel Silveira on December 9 at the presidential house, three weeks before leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was scheduled to enter the office, according to the audio recording he provided to the magazine Veja.

Do Val, an ally of Bolsonaro throughout his four years in office, claimed the far-right politician assigned him the "mission" of interviewing Alexandre de Moraes, the chairman of Brazil's electoral commission and a justice of the Supreme Court, to convince the judge to acknowledge that he exceeded his constitutional authority.

"'I annul the election, Lula isn't sworn in, I stay in the presidency and arrest Alexandre de Moraes because of his comments,'" Marcos do Val quotes Bolsonaro as saying.

Veja released the recording in response to the senator's denials that were published in response to the magazine's Thursday morning expose about the alleged plot, according to AP.

The senator was not named as a source in the magazine's article.

After the magazine published its story, Do Val informed reporters that Silveira had come up with the plot and that the former president had been silent throughout the meeting.

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, Jair Bolsonaro Son, Denied the Coup Attempt

Bolsonaro "sat in silence," according to senator Marcos do Val, as Silveira described the scheme against Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court justice overseeing Brazil's highest election body (TSE).

Moraes defended the electronic voting system, which Bolsonaro blamed for his loss, while Bolsonaro launched baseless attacks on its credibility.

Do Val's testimony is the most compelling evidence that Bolsonaro attempted to change the result of the October election, which was narrowly won by leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who took office on January 1.

The former president's son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, claimed in a statement that there was never any attempt at a coup and that his father is a "defender of law and order and has always played within the four lines of the Constitution," Reuters reports.

Reps for Bolsonaro, who has been in Orlando, Florida, since late December (two days before his tenure ended), could not be reached immediately. The Liberal Party, which he represents, has been silent.

Meanwhile, police arrested Silveira on Thursday based on an arrest warrant issued by Moraes, who claimed that Silveira had shown "complete disrespect and mockery" of the judicial system by disregarding court orders.

Jair Bolsonaro Applied For a 6-Month US Visitor Visa

Considering the legal issues he would face upon his return to Brazil, former president Jair Bolsonaro has requested a six-month U.S. visitor visa to remain in the country.

Jair Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida on December 30, just a few days before his rival on the left, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was sworn in as president.

The event went smoothly, but a week later, thousands of Bolsonaro's crazy supporters attacked the capital and destroyed the most important government buildings, demanding that Lula da Silva's election be overturned.

An investigation is underway to investigate whether Bolsonaro instigated the insurrection. The ex-president is the subject of multiple probes, any one of which could disqualify him from future political office.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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