The articulation around the attempt to cool down the resistance of the president of , (-AP), to the appointment of a seat in the (Supreme Federal Court) includes ministers from the court itself, including the two appointed by Jair Bolsonaro (PL): and .
The magistrates held conversations with parliamentarians in recent months in an effort to convince the opposition. Both have been important campaigners in favor of Messias since the nomination, especially Mendonça, today one of the most important names in the Supreme Court.
The assessment is that the climate around the current attorney general of the Union improved among senators during this period, partly due to their dedication to the opposition.
The . The president (PT) this Wednesday (1st) made the nomination.
The government faced an impasse that involved the president of the House, who he defended (then in -MG) for the seat. Lula held back on sending the official statement to reinforce political articulation.
Interlocutors Messias and allies state that the minister must seek out all senators again. He lists having already spoken to 75 of the 81. Therefore, he must return to these and look for the others, including Alcolumbre himself.
Messias has a good entry into the government base, among evangelicals, and would also have positive signals from the MDB and PSD, according to these reports. To advance the conversations, the current head of the AGU (Attorney General’s Office) will try to avoid political disputes and contamination of the Banco Master case.
People close to Messias say they believe that the court’s magistrates can pressure Alcolumbre not to hold the hearing to evaluate the nomination, under the argument that the court is embezzled —Luís Roberto Barroso left the court last October.
With ten ministers, there is a chance of trials resulting in a draw and also difficulties in distributing new cases, overloading the offices. Furthermore, the processes in Barroso’s collection remain unprocessed.
These arguments have been used by ministers to congressmen, according to reports. Kassio and Mendonça entered the negotiations at the end of last year and have spoken, above all, with opposition parliamentarians. The dean of the court, Gilmar Mendes, and Cristiano Zanin have also asked for votes.
In the political dispute, the ministers, especially Kassio and Mendonça, highlighted to the senators the closeness they themselves have with Messias. On the other hand, they heard fears about displeasing Davi Alcolumbre. The biggest problem would therefore be the resistance of the President of the House.
Mendonça has reminded interlocutors of his own post-nomination situation, in 2021. It also depended on Alcolumbre, then president of the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission), the progress of his name in the Senate. The senator scheduled the hearing for Mendonça.
At the time, the senator calculated that Mendonça would not have enough votes to be approved. Finally, Bolsonaro’s former Minister of Justice was endorsed by 47 votes in favor and 32 against. 41 votes are needed in the plenary to confirm the nomination.
People close to the minister assess that Messias’ situation is, today, calmer than the one he faced five years ago.
Kassio told interlocutors that he had spoken to many senators and felt that time was favorable to Messias, whose approval ended up growing.
One of the minister’s arguments has been precisely the profile of today’s AGU. Messias is an evangelical, read as a conservative in some matters, and someone who knows how to navigate politics, having held relevant positions and faced crises in which he was one of the focuses in past governments or dealing with scandals in the current one.
He became known nationally as “Bessias” in 2016, with the release of a Lava Jato wiretap, authorized by then judge Sergio Moro. Although there were no irregularities in the former assistant’s conduct, the episode marked the then government of Dilma Rousseff (PT).
Messias would have navigated these crises, personal and political, discreetly, prioritizing dialogue. An example that pleased Lula was the proposal for compensation for victims of fraud from the (National Social Security Institute), created with representatives from various bodies.
This trajectory would prove Messias’ deference to Congress and politics more broadly, according to supporters. This is one of the concerns of parliamentarians given the strengthening of the Supreme Court in recent years.
At another point in the speech to convince the senators, judges applied the logic that Messias would be the best of the cadres also for the opposition, that is, with the analogy “of evils, the least” — even though the sign was always of appreciation to the AGU.
In conversations with parliamentarians, they argued that, being a government from another political spectrum, it would be difficult to make an appointment that would completely please the other camp. In this scenario, it would be the name that would best bring together interests and visions.
Messias has demonstrated optimism regarding his prospects in the Senate, in addition to his own work with parliamentarians and that of his allies within the court.
Lula’s minister has already told senators he met that he would like to have the opportunity to talk to Alcolumbre. The message was taken to the president of the Senate, but he declined to discuss it. The senator indicated that he would wait a little longer to decide on the hearing and that he would talk to Messias at another time.
Lula’s nominee has been reaching out to senators by phone and in person. As shown by SheetMessiah says, in these conversations, .
