North Miami-Dade News

Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairwoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) has criticized Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes for their alleged censorship of opposition voices on social media. The comments were made during a hearing about the state of democracy and the rule of law in Brazil. Salazar also defended Elon Musk, who she believes is being unfairly targeted by Brazilian authorities.

The Supreme Court in Brazil, under Justice de Moraes, has been accused of launching a sustained legal attack against X (formerly Twitter) and other social media companies such as Rumble. This is purportedly being done to protect democracy. Salazar praised Musk's commitment to safeguarding free speech, even if it comes at the cost of potential profit.

"Brazil not only has a felon convicted of political corruption as President, Lula da Silva, but now has a totalitarian operator as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes," said Chairwoman Salazar. "Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, has become a target of the highest court because he is fighting against de Moraes’ curtailing of the most fundamental rights of the Brazilian people: the right to free speech. The Brazilian people deserve a lot better."

Justice de Moraes stands accused of overstepping his authority to silence opposition that rallied around former President Jair Bolsonaro during and after the 2022 presidential election.

In response to legal requirements imposed on social media companies operating in Brazil to restrict speech that the government disapproves of, Musk instructed his company to challenge these restrictions in Brazilian courts. Independent journalist Michael Shellenberger testified that Musk and X became frustrated with what they deemed "illegitimate, unconstitutional, and illegal requests for censorship."

Brazilian journalist Paulo Figueiredo stressed that it was crucial for U.S. Congress to continue exposing corruption within President Lula’s administration and to reaffirm its commitment to protecting opposition voices from arbitrary restrictions.

As a former journalist, Rep. Salazar has devoted her life to defending the fundamental democratic right to free speech and a free press. She represents thousands of Brazilian-Americans in Florida’s 27th Congressional District and is an advocate for free speech worldwide.