Bolsonaro Targeted in New Evidence in Franco Murder
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. (Wikipedia)
At 4:00AM on October 30, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro posted a 23 minute livestream to his Youtube channel reacting to a news report published by TV Globo. The report alleged that Bolsonaro was connected to the March 2018 murder of Marielle Franco, a city council-woman in Rio de Janeiro.
According to the report, the two main suspects in the murder case met at Bolsonaro’s housing compound hours before the murder. Ronnie Lessa, the ex-police officer who is the crime’s primary suspect, lived in the same compound as Bolsonaro. Élcio Vieira de Queiroz, Lessa’s accomplice, supposedly gained access to the compound to meet up with Lessa by giving Bolsonaro’s name at the front gates. Though it is confirmed that Bolsonaro was in Brasilia on the night of the murder in Rio de Janeiro, this report tarnishes his name by involving him in a crime that has infuriated many Brazilians.
In Bolsonaro’s video response to the report, he appeared agitated and used profanity to express his disgust at the situation. Amongst which, he stated, "This is rotten, villainous journalism by TV Globo.” He also shouted “Why do they want to destroy me,” and, “I’m the President of the Republic.” He continued to specifically target TV Globo, threatening to revoke their media license. Bolsonaro stated that in 2022, "You'd better hope I'm dead... because the renewal process won't be persecution, but... there won't be any workarounds for you or anyone else." Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, also called the story “fake news” and attacked the journalists behind the report.
TV Globo continues to deny any accusations of improper investigative journalism. They released a statement in response to Bolsonaro’s video expressing their regret that “the president reveals not knowing the mission of quality journalism and uses unfair terms to insult those who do nothing but accurately inform the Brazilian public." Other critics of Bolsonaro, including government ministers, have treated the report seriously and have pointed out that it highlights the urgency to further investigate his actions. According to former environmental minister Marina Silva, there must be an investigation into these “very serious allegations… so that not the slightest suspicion hangs over the occupant of the highest office in the republic.”
While Queiroz and Lessa have been charged with the murder of Franco, the official investigation has not been officially concluded due to confusion surrounding their accomplices and motives. Bolsonaro, since the release of his video, has become more active in promoting his own theories about the murder, including blaming state governor of Rio Wilson Witzel for creating false narratives about the murder timeline. As it stands, the truth behind the murder still remains unclear.