Trump Media & Technology Group, of which Trump owns a majority stake, teamed up with right-wing backed video platform Rumble to file a lawsuit Wednesday against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, accusing him of illegal political censorship.
The lawsuit alleges Moraes “violated the free speech protections of the First Amendment when he ordered the suspension of the U.S.-based accounts of a specific well-known, politically outspoken user” from Brazil who’s currently in asylum in Florida. Moraes had previously ordered the person’s arrest for allegedly spreading disinformation.
The context here is that Brazil — much like the European Union — has adopted measures to combat the spread of manipulative disinformation in recent years, at times angering right-wingers like Elon Musk. Musk’s platform, X, was temporarily banned in Brazil for its role in spreading misinformation and extremism, but the ban was lifted last year when the company paid millions of dollars in fines and named a Brazilian lawyer as its local representative in accordance with the law.
Rumble was one of the platforms used to promote extremism and spread disinformation about the 2022 Brazilian election, purportedly stolen from Trump ally and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. The lawsuit alleges Rumble was illegally forced by Moraes to suspend “certain accounts” to comply with Brazil’s anti-disinformation policies.
So essentially, Trump’s media company is up in arms about Brazil having set conditions for how social media companies can operate within its borders.
The timing is certainly notable. Earlier this week, a top prosecutor charged Bolsonaro, alleging he was involved in a coup plot that involved poisoning Moraes and shooting Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro called the claims “vague accusations” and said officials had to “fabricate” them. The Supreme Court on which Moraes sits will determine whether Bolsonaro will stand trial. A researcher at the Karsh Institute of Democracy told The Guardian, the lawsuit “is truly an attempt to create confusion, apply political pressure, and weaken Moraes’s standing.”
Regardless of its motives, Trump’s media company being involved in targeting Moraes is disturbing. If it’s genuinely over the censorship claims, the president’s company is attempting to impose his political will on a foreign nation. Even the appearance of interference with a judge overseeing the Bolsonaro case is enough to warrant concern.
The White House did not immediately respond to the ReidOut Blog’s request for comment on the lawsuit and has yet to comment on it publicly.
I suspect this won’t be the last time Trump’s media company seeks to wield political influence. The company recently filed to become a financial services firm, which The New York Times reports “will allow his supporters to put money into investment products geared to what the company has called the ‘patriotic economy.’” The Times goes on to note that “some of the financial products Trump Media intends to introduce may need approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission.’’
Just this week, Trump signed an executive order requiring regulators at independent agencies, like the SEC, to seek the White House’s guidance as it establishes regulations.
