Bolsonaro confirms to the PF meeting with Marcos do Val, but denies plan to record Moraes

Brasilia DF) – Former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) confirmed in a statement to the Federal Police this Wednesday (12) that he met with Marcos do Val (Podemos-ES), but denied maintaining ties with the senator and having participated in the alleged plan to record Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF).

According to him, the meeting took place in December last year, at Palácio da Alvorada.

Bolsonaro arrived around 1:40 pm and entered through the garage at the back of the building, without speaking to the press. According to Fabio Wajngarten, former Secretary of Communication for the Presidency, the testimony lasted approximately 35 minutes.

“Nothing has been handled [na reunião], there was no plan, at that approximately 20-minute meeting, for anyone to record Minister Alexandre de Moraes. Why would I articulate anything with the senator? What was the meeting about? Anything”

said Bolsonaro after the statement in conversation with journalists.

This was at least the fourth testimony given by Bolsonaro since he left the Planalto Palace.

“This is one more testimonial and many others will have it. It seems something programmed to embarrass, and it is not the Federal Police”

said Bolsonaro.

“Nothing happened on the 8th of December [data da reunião], also because I had no connection with Mr. Marcos Do Val. As far as I remember, I was never in a meeting with him, I never received him in an audience, except perhaps for a photograph, which happens very often between us.”

he stated.

Asked about what was discussed at the meeting, Bolsonaro said that what “took out” of the meeting was that “Daniel Silveira wanted Marcos do Val to say something, [mas] he didn’t say anything either.

The meeting was scheduled, according to Bolsonaro, because “there was a courtship at that moment” to affiliate senators to the PL. He stated that the name of Minister Alexandre de Moraes was not even mentioned at the meeting.

After the meeting, Marcos do Val sent a message to Minister Alexandre de Moraes, stating that Daniel Silveira would be “making a whole movement to take him [Moraes] to the loss of a ministerial position and even being arrested”.

“The PR [presidente da República] is not making any movement in this direction. the DS [Daniel Silveira] who is trying to convince you”said DoVal.

He recorded the screen with the message and forwarded it to Bolsonaro, who replied: “Crazy stuff”.

Asked if he had not thought about denouncing Do Val, Bolsonaro said after the testimony: “This is crazy stuff, I will not denounce anyone”.

The term of the statement that Bolsonaro gave to the PF says that he responded to delegates Raphael Astini, Alexandre Camões and Vinícius Barancelli that “he is unaware that Senator Marcos do Val would have been recruited by Daniel Silveira, but that he heard from Daniel Silveira that the senator would have something to do with the Republic”.

The coup plot reported by Do Val was detailed in a series of messages attributed to Daniel Silveira. The messages were revealed by Veja magazine. Folha obtained a copy of one of them.

According to the senator, this plan would be carried out last December and would consist of recording Moraes without authorization and then preventing the inauguration of today’s President Lula (PT).

In general terms, the proposal presented to Marcos do Val would involve recording a conversation that would compromise Moraes, who is president of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Do Val had contact with the Minister of Public Safety.

According to the coup thesis, the revelation of these audios would lead to a perfect storm for them: Moraes would be arrested, Bolsonaro would remain in office and Lula would not take office on January 1st.

Do Val’s speeches were yet another ingredient in the investigations that investigated the former president’s participation in the coup plan that ended in the attacks on the STF, Planalto and Congress buildings on January 8.

This Wednesday, Bolsonaro temporized the coup attacks of January 8.

“Nowadays there are almost 300 people arrested in Brasilia? What’s the charge? There is no terrorism or takeover. What’s that? On a Sunday? Do you take power on a Sunday? You have to aim for the occupied chair.”

he stated.

“People praying, without a gun, without a switchblade. It seems that they created the figure of the coup and now they are trying to build something to give credibility and support to this hypothetical and fanciful January 8th coup”

said Bolsonaro.

In February, Marcos Do Val gave different versions of the meeting with Bolsonaro.

First, in a live at dawn on his social networks, he said that Bolsonaro tried to coerce him to carry out a coup to stay in the Planalto Palace and prevent Lula from taking office.

“I got pissed when they called me a Bolsonarist. You wait for me, I’m going to drop a bomb. On Friday, Bolsonaro’s attempt to coerce me will appear in Veja magazine so that I could carry out a coup d’état together with him, just so you can have an idea. And it is logical that I denounced”

said the senator.

Hours later, questioned by Folha, the senator withdrew from the direct accusation and said that Bolsonaro “just heard” former federal deputy Daniel Silveira’s plan and said he would think about it.

Alexandre de Moraes determined in February the opening of an investigation against Do Val to investigate suspected crimes of false testimony, slanderous denunciation and coercion.

In June, the Federal Police issued search and seizure warrants at addresses of Senator Marcos do Val.

The operation was authorized by Moraes. The minister also ordered the blocking of the senator’s social networks.

A day earlier, Do Val had stated on Twitter that Moraes’ actions were unconstitutional.

“Following what the Constitution determines, it is up to senators to supervise, remove and even impeach [sic] ministers of the Supreme Court. The anti-constitutional actions of Minister Alexandre de Moraes are notorious in all legal circles and among judges throughout Brazil.”

he wrote.

The searches were carried out at the senator’s addresses in Brasília and Vitória, in addition to his office in the Federal Senate.

Moraes, when asking for the investigation, said that Do Val, when heard as a witness by the Federal Police regarding the case, presented “a fourth version of the facts disclosed by him, all antagonistic to each other, so that the pertinence and need for diligence for its complete clarification is verified”.

To GloboNews, the senator denied that he had told more than one version of the case.

“When he included me back there in the report with the argument that I gave several versions, but I gave only one version to the Federal Police and told everyone. The version of the facts and the absolute truth is in the statement I gave at that time in February”

said Do Val.

*With information from Folha de S.Paulo

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