Interlocutors of the senator (-RJ) privately criticized the pre-campaign response to the crisis triggered by the report on the Intercept Brasil website that exposed contact between the presidential candidate and the owner of the , , in the film “Dark Horse”, about (PL).
At the moment of greatest tension in Flávio’s pre-campaign so far, the assessment of some of the senator’s allies is that the video he recorded ended up out of tone, and there was an initial transparency error.
Unpreparedness, amateurism, headbanging and lack of command were expressions used to describe the counterattack. According to three people interviewed by the report, the response was worse for Flávio than the crisis itself.
Despite this, the preliminary analysis of people linked to the team based on social media data is that the effects for Flávio were not so serious — in other words, his candidacy should survive. Allies claim that the senator did not commit a crime by asking Vorcaro for money.
When contacted by the report, he stated that Flávio “demonstrated balance, preparation and maturity in the face of the first major crisis of the campaign”, which made him grow politically.
In the PT and Bolsonarist bubbles, the result was as expected. But, among less politicized users, who could decide the election, doubts remained about the case — for example, whether there really was no compensation, as Flávio says, and what was the amount released, where it came from and to whom it was paid.
The definitive opinion of this group therefore depends on what can still be revealed against Flávio. This is the . Given that the senator omitted his relationship with the former banker, there is apprehension that new dialogues will be revealed.
One of the points of criticism concerns the loose threads of the story. While Flávio admitted that Vorcaro financed the production of (underdog in English), by the former banker, which demonstrated a lack of planning and communication between the senator’s assistants and Bolsonarists linked to the filming, such as (PL) and Mario Frias (PL-SP).
The budget for production would have been paid through a company linked to Vorcaro, but without a formal relationship with the owner of Master, Entre Investimentos e Participações, which led the producer to deny the link with the former banker, differing from Flávio.
The official response should have been agreed between all parties, according to these interlocutors, otherwise it would fuel the suspicion that the money had been used by the Bolsonaro family. The PF is investigating whether in the United States, where the former deputy has lived since February 2025.
The delay in Flávio’s positioning was also criticized – the report was published at 2:31 pm this Wednesday (13), while the note was sent at 5:44 pm. During this interval, there was a meeting at the pre-campaign political office with the top team, including the coordinator Rogério Marinho (PL-RN), the president of the PL, the party leader in the Chamber, Sóstenes Cavalcante (PL-RJ), as well as lawyers and marketers. The atmosphere, according to participants, was tense.
As the answer was that there was no illegality in Flávio’s action, the counterattack could have been faster, without involving a war operation, say those involved. While right-wing politicians waited for Flávio’s statement to guide their speech, PT’s opponents went on the attack.
Flávio also released a video with the same content as the note, and the recording ended up being frowned upon by his allies. They claim that the senator did not appear serious and, on the contrary, appeared cornered, dejected and uncomfortable, reinforcing an image of electoral fragility.
There is also widespread criticism regarding transparency, which goes beyond the team and reaches Bolsonaro deputies. According to them, Flávio could have minimized the stress if he had admitted, and that the former banker was financing the film about his father.
More serious than having hidden this from the public, say these members of the right, was not having told the truth to the pre-campaign team, which would have led to some prior strategy. Flávio’s assistants were criticized, in any case, for not having searched the senator’s life and mapped out possible scandals.
This Wednesday’s counterattack was commanded by Marcello, a friend of Flávio, with the help of journalist Alexandre Oltramari. The advertiser defends his strategy and said it is natural for “distorted versions, interested narratives and a lot of false information circulating behind the scenes” to emerge.
Marcello also states that Flávio “has the truth on his side” and remained calm and safe, without aggression. “This ends up strengthening his image among many people who were watching exactly how he would react under pressure,” he says.
The assessment that the response had errors only increased the advertiser’s internal wear and tear. This Tuesday (12), as one of the strategists of the plan hired by Vorcaro.
He says he was surprised by the inclusion of his name in the plan, that he was invited to a project, but said he could not participate because he would be traveling to the USA.
