Bolsonaro accuses Supreme Court Justice of “political activism” against his government

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday responded harshly to a Supreme Court Justice who ordered the Senate to create a Parliamentary Inquiry Committee (CPI) to investigate the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic. Bolsonaro accused him of using “political activism” against his government.

“It is not to investigate deviations of resources of governors or some mayors. It is to investigate government omissions”, said Bolsonaro about the announced decision of Justice Luis Barroso, who accepted a lawsuit filed by opposition senators to investigate the management of the pandemic by the Executive branch

The legal action was attempted by senators who, since last February, have tried to open the CPI, and had met all the constitutional and legal requirements for it, including signatures by more than 30 senate members. Still, this group’s creation has been denied by the president of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, who is politically aligned with Bolsonaro.

Barroso accepted the senators’ petition and ordered the creating of that parliamentary commission. Pacheco responded that “a decision of Justice is complied with”, even if “wrong”, and announced that the CPI would be installed next week.

Bolsonaro’s reaction was harsh and, this Friday, he accused both Barroso and “leftist groups” of trying to “wear down the federal government”.

Bolsonaro also directly addressed Justice Barroso and insinuated that he was linked to leftist parties and defended “terrorists”. He also demanded that the judge have “moral courage and order the Senate to begin impeachment proceedings against some of his colleagues on the Supreme Court.”

He referred to several impeachment petitions presented to the Senate against four of the Supreme Court’s eleven members – none of them directed against Barroso. However, the decision to begin impeachment proceedings, unlike that to install a CPI, requires the approval of the President of the Chamber of Deputies.

Source: efe