Bolsonaro’s “chloroquine guru” Arthur Weintraub enters Brazil’s Covid CPI sights

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – In February 2020, when there were still no confirmed deaths from Covid-19 in Brazil and the epidemic was still restricted to China and Italy, the then special advisor to the Presidency Arthur Weintraub was already working with President Jair Bolsonaro in favor of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as an “anti-globalist” solution to neutralize the disease and prevent social isolation measures.

Brother of ex-minister of education Abraham Weintraub, Arthur was assigned from the beginning to address the issue inside the Planalto Palace and provided the president with daily information about the drugs.

After several studies regarding their potential efficacy against the coronavirus, they began to be dismissed by a large part of the scientific community. Arthur was not happy with this, and began to look for doctors across Brazil who were willing to advocate the drugs. This would give rise to the group of thousands of doctors who, to this day, advocate and lobby for the adoption of the so-called “early treatment” along with Bolsonaro, state governments, city halls, hospital networks, and medical councils.

Physician Nise Yamaguchi and billionaire entrepreneur Carlos Wizard eventually came to the public eye as the main leaders of this movement – the first as scientific support, the second as its financial arm. Arthur Weintraub was the main organizer of this group and the one with greater access to Bolsonaro.

So great was his access that he never discussed the matter with the ministers of health, rather dealing directly with the president. His advice led to practical measures, such as tax exemption granted to hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in early 2020, and the attempt to change the package insert of the drugs through a decree.

Weintraub and the group of ‘chloroquiner’ doctors have now entered the sights of the Covid CPI (Senate investigative committee), which is investigating whether there was a “parallel cabinet” in charge of persuading Bolsonaro to raise the hope of early treatment at the expense of measures in favor of mass vaccination and social isolation. Two requests to summon Weintraub and to break his tax secrecy are expected to be considered this week.

CPI members point out that the author of the draft decree that would change the package insert of chloroquine may be Navy doctor Luciano Dias Azevedo, closely linked to Weintraub. In an event at the Planalto held in August 2020, Azevedo delivered a speech thanking the then special advisor to the Presidency for having “opened the doors” to him.

“In February, he came to us and managed to unite groups of doctors to research the disease, to learn from colleagues from other countries. (…) Arthur is a specialist in neuroscience, but understands pharmacology like few others,” he declared. Two months earlier, Azevedo had been appointed by the then Minister of Education, Abraham Weintraub, to a post in the Superior Council of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Personnel (CAPES), the federal bureau granting doctoral scholarships abroad.

“The two Weintraub brothers have always taken part in key meetings and play a very big role in the government’s ideological line,” said Senator Alessandro Vieira (Citizenship-SE), author of the requests and a member of the CPI.

With a master’s degree and doctorate in Law and a specialization in social security and neuroscience, Arthur Weintraub was theoretically qualified to analyze scientific studies related to Covid-19. In the government, he had the nominal position of “deputy chief advisor of the Special Advisory of the Presidency,” which, in the words of his friend, deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PSL-SP), had the following task: “To remain updated and provide the president with information.”

The position also provided him with free access to the most important meetings of the Presidency and to Bolsonaro’s office. A follower of “anti-globalist” and far-right-wing Olavist theories, he was removed from office in September 2020, but still continues to exert strong influence over the president, his sons, and Bolsonarist supporters.

Source: Veja

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