Brazil’s Supreme Court finds Jair Bolsonaro guilty of coup charges

The majority of a panel of Brazilian Supreme Court justices on Thursday, Sept 11, voted to convict former president Jair Bolsonaro of attempting a coup to remain in office despite his 2022 electoral defeat.
The far-right politician who governed Brazil between 2019 and 2022 was found guilty on five counts by three members of a five-justice panel. The latest to rule was Cármen Lúcia on Thursday, a day after another justice, Luiz Fux, disagreed and voted to acquit the ex-president of all charges.
There is only one pending justice to vote. Once all five justices have voted, the panel will decide on Bolsonaro’s sentence, which could amount to decades in prison.
US President Donald Trump came out in strong defense of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. rump said he was shocked and disappointed by the decision. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he described Bolsonaro as “an outstanding leader” and called the ruling “a terrible thing for Brazil.” Trump added, “I watched that trial. I know him pretty well, a foreign leader. I thought he was a good president of Brazil. And it’s very surprising that that could happen.”
Claiming the charges against Bolsonaro were similar to what he himself has faced, Trump continued, “That’s very much like they tried to do with me, but they didn’t get away with it at all. But I can always say this: I knew him as the president of Brazil. He was a good man, and I don’t see that happening.”