Trump's media group sues Brazilian judge after Bolsonaro indictment
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro speaks to the press after lunch and a visit to the Liberal Party (PL) leaders in the Federal Senate on Feb. 18. Photo: Ton Molina/NurPhoto via Getty Images
President Trump's media group on Wednesday sued a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, alleging that he censored right-wing voices on social media platforms.
Why it matters: The lawsuit came just hours after charges against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, were sent to Brazil's highest court.
Driving the news: The Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, and Rumble accused Judge Alexandre de Moraes of violating the free speech rights of U.S.-based conservative commentators, according to the lawsuit filed in a U.S. federal court in Tampa.
- The plaintiffs argued that Moraes' orders to remove Rumble accounts amounted to censorship, and that the accounts would be "lawful" under U.S. law.
- "The Gag Orders demand that Rumble, from its Florida-based headquarters and without any Brazil operations, enforce a universal ban on the targeted accounts—imposing a total blackout that extends even to U.S. users," the suit reads.
- Truth Social — which relies on Rumble technology for cloud hosting, video streaming and other back-end services — risks "operational challenges" in the U.S. as a result, the suit argues.
Catch up quick: Bolsonaro was charged Tuesday over an alleged coup plot to overturn his 2022 election loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro was also accused of being involved in a plan to kill his political rival.
- Moraes, who has overseen the investigations into the ex-president, was also a target in the assassination plot detailed in the indictment, the New York Times reported.
- The 69-year-old populist leader has denied any wrongdoing and accused investigators of targeting him.
Flashback: Bolsonaro has long accused Moraes, who has aggressively gone after hate speech and misinformation on social media, of censoring conservative voices.
- Moraes in 2022 struck down Bolsonaro's bid to overturn his election loss. A mob of his supporters stormed government buildings on Jan. 8, 2023.
Zoom out: Moraes has also clashed with Elon Musk, now a "Special Government Employee" in the Trump administration, over far-right accounts and misinformation shared on X.
- Moraes ordered the suspension of X last year because Musk didn't name a legal representative for the platform in the country.
- The ban came months after Moraes announced he was investigating Musk for obstruction of justice after the billionaire vowed to defy a court order blocking certain accounts on X in Brazil.
- More than a month after the ban was imposed, X acquiesced and the prohibition was lifted.
Go deeper: Brazil court bars Bolsonaro from running for office for eight years
Editor's note: This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
