In another move away from Bolsonaro, federal lawmaker Ottoni de Paola (MDB-RJ) said he “regrets” that he treated former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) as a “myth” and stated that he would rather “walk alone than in bad company.” Speaking from the chamber’s podium, the parliamentarian, who serves as pastor of the Mission Society of God, said he no longer wanted to be seen as an “extremist”. This statement came yesterday, a day after Bolsonaro and the seven other defendants at the heart of the coup plot were finally convicted.
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— I regretted shouting the myth in a place where I should only worship God. It was never Bolsonaro’s fault. It was really my fault. That’s why I decided to warn my brothers who were still in the same place where I was. -I feel embarrassed, because I didn’t look like a priest. He looked like a crazy man who thought everything could be solved with a bullet and a shot.
During Bolsonaro’s term as president, Ottoni served as deputy head of government at the chamber. However, the parliamentarian has intensified signs of distancing himself from Bolsonarianism and moving closer to Lula’s (Workers’ Party) government in recent months. Last year, for example, he publicly thanked and praised a Labor MP for creating National Gospel Music Day. At the time, the gesture sparked accusations of political treason from Protestant preachers.
Recently, Ottoni also sided with the government by speaking out in favor of appointing the Attorney General of the Federation, Jorge Mesías, to the Federal Supreme Court, following the announcement of the retirement of Minister Luis Roberto Barroso. He also criticized the massive operation against the Red Command, which resulted in the deaths of 122 people, and which was carried out by Governor Claudio Castro (PL-RJ).
— Instead of standing up for justice, you preached that criminals should die. Instead of denouncing the sin of racism, I preferred to say that racism does not exist in my country. Instead of supporting equality, I decided to support meritocracy. He added in his speech before the Council yesterday, as if the son of the poor could compete with the rich.