Reserve general Walter Braga Netto, former Minister of Defense and candidate for vice president on Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) ticket in 2022, used his account on the social network X this Saturday (23) to deny the existence of any plan to a coup d’état or for assassinations after the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) in the presidential elections.
The publication, accompanied by a note from his defense, rejects the accusations made in the Federal Police (PF) indictment last Thursday (21), which includes Braga Netto, Bolsonaro and 35 other people as suspects of planning actions against the inauguration by Lula. “It was never a coup, much less a plan to assassinate someone”, declared the general in X.
According to the PF, the indicted group had committed crimes such as attempted violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, criminal organization and conspiracy to commit a coup d’état.
Investigations indicate that the alleged plan to assassinate Lula, vice-president Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) and minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF, would have been discussed at Braga Netto’s residence.
In their defense, in the post on X, Braga Netto’s lawyers highlighted that the general always acted ethically and within constitutional precepts throughout his career. “The defense believes that due legal process will clarify the truth and limit the responsibilities of each person involved,” they stated.
The text also refutes the thesis that the former minister planned to take power in a possible “coup within a coup”. Braga Netto classified the idea as “fanciful and absurd”.
The note highlights that, during the previous government, the general maintained loyalty to Jair Bolsonaro until the end of his term, in December 2022, and that this alignment stems from his belief in non-negotiable values and principles. The defense still questions the interests behind the dissemination of such accusations.
In a demonstration on the day of the indictment, the general’s defense criticized the release of information to the press before access to the parties involved in the process.
Whitewashed with an eye on 2026
Governor of Goiás, Ronaldo Caiado (União) also made a statement regarding the case this Saturday. In an interview with UOL, he stated: “Brazil doesn’t do anything, it doesn’t have a plan for anything. It’s adrift, not knowing where it’s going, what to do. I think factoids are created to divert attention from the main thing, from cutting spending, administrative reform and other things, and focuses on an issue like this.”
The native of Goiás is one of the names mentioned as a possible representative of the right for the presidential elections in 2026. He supported Bolsonaro in the 2022 elections and declares himself anti-PT.
“This extreme here, extreme right there business is tiring. No one is putting up with it anymore. It’s tired,” he commented. “Society is looking for, today, in 2026, someone to solve Brazil’s problems.”
Caiado also said that he will await the STF’s judgment regarding what happened. “If it’s proven, it will be condemned. But staying guesswork, I don’t think that adds anything. We’ve already been on this issue for two years. And are we going to continue for another four years? Nobody can take this anymore.”
