Four months after announcing his chosen one, the president () informed people close to him that he intends to send a message this week with the appointment of the Union’s attorney general, , to the (Supreme Federal Court).
The decision to send the documentation has already been taken, but first with the president of the Senate, (-AP). According to reports, Alcolumbre told Lula that it would be better to wait until the hearing.
In the assessment of government organizers in Congress, the Messiah is better today than in , when he was chosen.
Ministers from the Supreme Court themselves joined the campaign in favor of Messias in recent months, including the two nominated by former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), André Mendonça and Kassio Nunes Marques. The court’s dean, Gilmar Mendes, and minister Cristiano Zanin also defended Messias, according to reports.
The optimistic diagnosis contrasts with the projection of people close to the Senate president. On condition of anonymity, Alcolumbre’s allies claim that, contrary to the government’s thermometer, resistance to Lula’s nominee grew as investigations into the Banco Master scheme progressed, with the revelation of the involvement of center leaders in the scandal.
Defender of , Alcolumbre suggested that Lula send the message to the Senate only after the October elections — which would subject his nominee to a year of waiting.
Since Messias’ nomination, Lula has tried, unsuccessfully, to raise awareness in Alcolumbre in favor of his chosen one. After the attempts failed, the president decided to continue the process. Throughout the negotiations, Lula’s allies argued that the appointment to the STF is the president’s prerogative, which he will not give up.
Allies of the PT member are aware of the need to vote by May, before the informal recess that marks election years. Messiah himself also told people close to him that he would like to face the vote to end this cycle.
Lula discussed the issue with the government leader in the Senate, (PT-BA), and the president of the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission), Otto Alencar (-BA), at a lunch on Wednesday (18). According to reports, Otto told the president that Messias has a good chance of being approved.
The president of the Senate arrived shortly after Lula’s announcement, but was forced to cancel the date for the process — an artifice used by Lula to gain time and try to obtain more support.
The name of Messias to the STF had already been mentioned at the time of Rosa Weber’s retirement, in 2023. However, the chair ended up going to .
Despite not being chosen for the Supreme Court at that time, his position grew in the vacuum left by Dino’s departure from the Ministry of Justice. Messias became Lula’s main legal advisor and was called upon to give his opinion, including on political issues.
In addition to praising the minister’s competence and loyalty, Lula often states that Messias is ripe for the position, opened with the minister’s early retirement in October.
Attorney of the National Treasury since 2007, Messias was also a legal consultant for the Ministries of Education and Science, Technology and Innovation, under the command of Aloizio Mercadante, and was also Secretary of Regulation and Supervision of Higher Education. He gained confidence through the work he started as a legal consultant for ministries.
In the Dilma (PT) government, he was deputy head of Legal Affairs at the Civil House — a role that made him, in the episode of the disclosure in 2016 of a Lava Jato wiretap, authorized by the then judge Sergio Moro (União Brasil-PR), now a senator.
Despite there being no irregularities in the former assistant’s conduct, the audio refers to one of the most difficult moments for the PT governments.
During the Bolsonaro government, Messias served as Wagner’s chief of staff in the Senate. Until then, without much proximity to Lula, he began to gain recognition from the president already in the assembly of the government. In the role of legal coordinator of the transition, he worked on drafting decrees restructuring the Esplanada, including defining the Budget for 2023.
