Dozens of audios reveal high-ranking Brazilian officers pressured Bolsonaro to stage a coup
NBCDec 04, 2024
The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that high-ranking Brazilian military officers in late 2022 sought to pressure then-Pres. Jair Bolsonaro to stage a coup to keep his election opponent and president-elect, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, out of office.
This comes as the news outlet has gained access to 53 audio recordings obtained by Brazil's federal police, including messages in which a colonel tells retired Brig. Gen. Mário Fernandes, then the deputy secretary general for the presidency, that "it [would] be either a civil war [then] or civil war later" and that they should speak to Bolsonaro.
The former president and 36 of his allies — including four cabinet ministers and a former intelligence chief — were formally accused last week of plotting a coup, trying to violently abolish the democratic rule of law, and involvement in criminal organizations after his 2022 election loss.
These audio recordings further expose that the right-wing Brazilian leader has been politically persecuted in a blatant example of leftist lawfare. It was hardly a surprise that Brazilian authorities formally called for him and several of his allies to be charged with coup plot, as such a move has been expected since his first day out of office.
Even if this coup failed, accountability for what happened in Brazil isn't only a matter of justice but is crucial for the future of the country's democracy. Investigations have revealed a coordinated, multi-pronged attempt by Bolsonaro and his accomplices to undermine the election's result. The political influence of Brazil's military can't be underestimated, and this is a concern that politicians must confront in the future.