JB wants to fire the wife of the journalist he assaulted.

The troubled relationship between the president of the Supreme Federal Court, Joaquim Barbosa, and the media gains another chapter; now, he wants the head of employee Adriana Leineker Costa, assigned to the office of Minister Ricardo Lewandowski; the "unethical" conduct, according to Barbosa, is the fact that she is married to Felipe Recondo, from the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper; the journalist is the same one whom the president of the STF ordered to "wallow in the garbage" when he was investigating extraordinary expenses of the ministers; days ago, another journalist from Estado, correspondent Claudia Trevisan, was arrested in the United States while trying to interview him; does Brazil have a despot at the head of the Judiciary?

October 03, 2013, 11:44 PMUpdated July 10, 2018, 14:49 pm

The troubled relationship between the president of the Supreme Federal Court, Joaquim Barbosa, and the media gains another chapter; now, he wants the head of employee Adriana Leineker Costa, assigned to the office of Minister Ricardo Lewandowski; the "unethical" conduct, according to Barbosa, is the fact that she is married to Felipe Recondo, from the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper; the journalist is the same one whom the president of the STF ordered to "wallow in the garbage" when he was investigating extraordinary expenses of the ministers; days ago, another journalist from Estado, correspondent Claudia Trevisan, was arrested in the United States while trying to interview him; does Brazil have a despot at the head of the Judiciary? (Photo: Felipe L. Goncalves)

247 - The president of the Supreme Federal Court, Joaquim Barbosa, has just given yet another clear demonstration that he has difficulty dealing with the media. Last Tuesday, October 1st, he sent an official letter to Minister Ricardo Lewandowski with the following wording:

Mr. Minister,

During my absence from the country, from September 24th to 30th, Your Excellency sent an official letter to the president of the Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories requesting the extension of ADRIANA LEINEKER COSTA's assignment to continue serving in the commissioned position of Advisor to the Minister, level CJ-3.

2. Considering that the employee has a marital relationship with a beat reporter for a major media outlet, who performs his duties on the premises of the Supreme Federal Court using the intranet, internet, and telephones made available to him, I deem her continued tenure in a commissioned position in the office of one of the Court's Justices unethical, in addition to creating a situation likely to generate an imbalance in the relationship between journalists responsible for covering our daily work.

3. As the employee is assigned to Your Excellency's Office, I would appreciate your consideration on this matter.

Best Regards,

Minister Joaquim Barbosa

President

The "unethical" conduct attributed by Barbosa to civil servant Adriana Leineker Costa is the fact that she is married to journalist Felipe Recondo, from the newspaper Estado de S. Paulo.

Recondo is the same person whom Barbosa suggested "wallowing in the garbage." The reason: he was investigating ministers' expenses on airfare and other costs, such as the R$ 90 renovation of Joaquim Barbosa's bathrooms.

A few days ago, the president of the Supreme Federal Court was involved in another controversy when journalist Claudia Trevisan, also from the United States, was arrested while trying to interview him in the United States.

Despite the consultation, Minister Lewandowski has already made it clear that he will not reconsider his decision to keep the civil servant in his office.