A media company controlled by President Donald Trump on Wednesday launched a lawsuit against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
The suit alleges that Moraes, who has led a controversial crusade against “fake news” in Brazil, violated US protections on free speech when he sought to shutter the US-based accounts of an unnamed right-wing social media influencer who supported former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Timing is everything: The suit came just hours after Bolsonaro himself was indicted Tuesday for alleged involvement in a failed coup after he lost his 2022 presidential reelection bid to arch-nemesis Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The charges include allegations that Bolsonaro plotted to kill both Lula and Moraes.
Bolsonaro is a big Trump ally: The far-right firebrand even spent several weeks at Mar-a-Lago after losing his election.
Further sparks await: The lawsuit escalates tensions between the largest economy in the Americas and the largest economy in South America. Brazil had recently sought to avoid conflict by declining to retaliate against Washington’s new steel and aluminum tariffs. But Trump has also singled out Brazil for shielding its ethanol industry to the detriment of American farmers. The suit against Moraes will complicate any new Washington-Brasilia trade talks.