Pointed out earlier as , the support of the minister of the (Supreme Federal Court) actually ended up harming the chances of the head of the (Attorney General of the Union), in the view of members of the Federal and the government (PT).
Mendonça is the rapporteur of the case of , who and several politicians with whom the former banker was close, mainly members of the centrão.
The assessment is that Messias made it clear that he would become one of the main ones, giving strength to the investigations — which intimidated part of the Senate and the court itself.
One of the axes of the investigation is (Amapá Previdência), manager of the state’s own pension scheme, in Master. The former CEO of Amprev Jocildo Silva Lemos, , was appointed to the position by the president of the Senate, (-AP).
Messias had his name to fill a vacancy in the STF, with 34 votes in favor and 42 against — practically the opposite score to what was necessary, since he would need at least 41 of the 81 votes.
A person linked to Lula says that Messias was the victim of an action between friends interested in shielding the Master. This articulation, according to this person, was non-partisan.
In the opinion of the president’s collaborators, Messiah’s arrival would change the balance of forces in the court. Lula’s allies remember that Messias contradicted Moraes, and by not endorsing his nominees for vacancies in regional courts and higher courts.
“There are ministers today at the supreme court, minister, who work against your excellency’s nomination openly, who cast votes here in the Blue Room against your excellency’s nomination”, said senator Alessandro Vieira (MDB-SE) to Messias during the hearing.
Mendonça’s participation in the process, in the view of senators, may also have affected the Senate president’s ego because of the , when Alcolumbre was president of the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission).
In 2021, the senator tried to force the former president (PL) to exchange Mendonça’s nomination to the Supreme Court for that of the former attorney general of the Republic Augusto Aras, taking more than four months to do so.
The president of the Senate personally acted to ensure that Messias was defeated in the vote. Under reservation, parliamentarians and members of the government assess that the AGU’s alliance with Mendonça could be one of the best.
The score against Messias also showed that Mendonça’s support was not useful. The magistrate sought out senators with whom he was close and asked for support, without success.
The campaign carried out by Mendonça, classified as “terribly evangelical” by Bolsonaro, also had no effect among the religious group. Parliamentarians who counted votes say that Messias expected the support of some evangelical senators, which did not happen.
“It seems that the bishops who were in the Senate, despite their efforts, were unable to convince the evangelical senators”, said the president of the CCJ (Constitution and Justice Commission), Otto Alencar (PSD-BA).
