Marcos do Val changes version, tries to exempt Bolsonaro and retreats from resignation in the Senate

Senator Marcos do Val (Podemos-ES) gave different versions about the meeting with former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and the alleged plan to record the minister of the STF (Federal Supreme Court) Alexandre de Moraes to reverse the election result from 2022.

During the early hours of this Thursday (2), Do Val made a live broadcast on social networks stating that Veja magazine would publish a report showing that Bolsonaro tried to coerce him to “take a coup d’état together with him”.

Hours later, questioned by Folha de S.Paulo, the senator backed away from the direct accusation and said that Bolsonaro “only heard” the plan of former federal deputy Daniel Silveira and said he would think about it.

Despite this, Do Val told the report that he met with the two because he received a call from the former President of the Republic himself and that he entered the meeting place in a Presidency car.

Later, in an interview with the press in his office, the senator stated that he discussed leaving politics with the eldest son of the former president, Flávio Bolsonaro (PL), and would have been invited by him to join the PL.

In this Thursday’s Senate session, while Do Val was speaking to the press, Flávio stated that he had spoken with his colleague about the meeting, but “in line” that there was “an attempt by a parliamentarian to demote the people who were at the meeting from doing something absolutely unacceptable”.

Do Val also did not clarify where the meeting with Bolsonaro and Silveira was.

First, he told Folha de S.Paulo that he was in doubt and that he thought it had been at the Jaburu Palace, the official residence of the Vice-Presidency.

Later, in the same press interview, he mentioned Granja do Torto, the second residence of the Presidency. He told Veja that the meeting was at the Alvorada Palace, the president’s main official residence, and where Bolsonaro isolated himself after his defeat by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

Silveira’s plan, according to Do Val, was to record the minister of the Supreme Court and try to get some contradiction out of him that could later arrest him. “If you accept the mission, paraphrasing 01, we will save Brazil”, says a message attributed to Silveira, revealed by Veja and obtained by Folha de S.Paulo.

“Daniel’s fear of living with the shadow of Alexandre de Moraes wanting to arrest him at any time was very noticeable. Then he wanted to do the opposite. He built a plot for Alexandre to be arrested”, he told Folha de S.Paulo.

Do Val said his decision on whether to resign or step down from the mandate had not yet been made and that he would talk to his team on Thursday. The decision to leave politics had also been communicated by him at dawn, on social media.

Do Val spoke to Folha de S.Paulo this Thursday morning.