TURMOIL

Brazil Police Identify Bolsonaro’s Son as Alleged Ringleader of Fake News Scheme

The allegations intensify the president’s political crisis after his justice minister resigned in protest on Friday.

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has been pulled deeper into political turmoil after federal police accused his son of masterminding “a criminal fake news racket” aimed at intimidating public authorities, The Guardian reports. Carlos Bolsonaro, 37, said on Twitter that the accusations are “garbage.” The far-right president, who has been harshly criticized for downplaying the coronavirus threat, was already facing a crisis after his Justice Minister Sergio Moro resigned on Friday. Moro accused the president of firing federal police director Maurício Valeixo to appoint a new chief who would work in agreement with his political agenda. “I cannot stay on without being able to preserve the autonomy of the federal police,” Moro said in his departure speech. Bolsonaro has rejected the allegations.

“The government is crumbling,” said Eliane Cantanhêde, a political commentator for Estado de São Paulo newspaper. She added that it’s “hard to imagine Bolsonaro making it through nearly three more years in the midst of this chaos. It’s a real pickle.”