Flávio Bolsonaro Presses Cármen Lúcia to Back Probe of Moraes, Says She Should Think About Her Biography

Flávio Bolsonaro is demanding a clear choice from Supreme Court Justice Cármen Lúcia. In a Sunday social-media broadcast, the senator and presidential candidate asked whether she would authorize an investigation into fellow justice Alexandre de Moraes, adding that she should be concerned about her biography.

The appeal comes as Cármen weighs the positions of Moraes and André Mendonça, whose actions have pushed the court into the center of an institutional crisis. Folha reported that she sees errors by both justices but has not decided which one will receive her support. Their dispute has made her vote potentially decisive in upcoming plenary deliberations.

The court is expected to assess whether Mendonça acted arbitrarily in inquiries involving Banco Master and Brazil’s National Social Security Institute. Those investigations produced a Federal Police report identifying Moraes as an interlocutor of former banker Daniel Vorcaro. The court will also examine whether Moraes properly used the fake-news inquiry to seek an investigation into Mendonça over alleged abuse of authority, administrative misconduct and a crime of responsibility.

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We want to know whether you will authorize an investigation into Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

Cármen called Moraes before he moved against Mendonça and indicated sympathy for his public exposure, but she did not promise support in future votes. After Mendonça lifted the secrecy on a Federal Police report containing messages between Vorcaro and Moraes, including one in which the banker asked whether he should leave Brazil before his 2025 arrest, Moraes understood the call as a possible gesture of support. Cármen later expressed perplexity to someone close to her over both justices and the extent of the Supreme Court’s internal erosion.

Flávio also urged supporters to attend Sept. 7 demonstrations against President Lula and Moraes. He said the size of the crowds would affect how the judgment turned out. His campaign is trying to increase turnout on São Paulo’s Paulista Avenue, move beyond a technical polling tie and become the favorite in the election’s second round. During the broadcast, he also heard supporters defend the Jan. 8, 2023 attacks and argue that those convicted had suffered injustice.

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If the streets are full across Brazil on Sept. 7, the judgment will be one thing; if they are empty, it will be another.