Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro threatens to punch journalist in face
The reporter from ‘O Globo’ had asked Bolsonaro about his wife’s alleged links to a corruption scheme.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday threatened to punch a reporter in the face for asking about his wife’s alleged links to a corruption scheme, reported Reuters.
“I so want to pound your mouth with punches,” the president told the reporter from O Globo, according to an audio clip released by the daily. Bolsonaro, however, ignored protests from other journalists after his remarks.
In a statement, O Globo called out Bolsonaro’s aggression. It said that such intimidation “shows that Jair Bolsonaro does not acknowledge the duty of a public servant ... to be accountable to the public.”
The reporter had asked Bolsonaro about a report in Crusoe magazine that linked First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro to Fabricio Queiroz, a retired police officer and former adviser to her eldest son Flavio Bolsonaro.
Queiroz and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro are under investigation for a scheme that allegedly swindled money from government employees. According to the magazine, Queiroz deposited money in the bank accounts of Michelle Bolsonaro between 2011 and 2016, reported AFP. Flavio Bolsonaro was then the Rio de Janeiro state legislator.
The first lady has not said anything about the case so far.