Michelle Bolsonaro "almost freaked out" when she saw the change coming from Alvorada Palace, says Cid (video)
A former aide-de-camp reported that the former first lady pressured allies to prevent Bolsonaro's departure; the group was trying to keep the former president in power.
247 - Former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro panicked when she saw her family's belongings being removed from the Alvorada Palace at the end of December 2022. This account was given by former aide-de-camp Mauro Cid in his plea bargain testimony, according to information released by the press. According to Cid, Michelle became desperate about Jair Bolsonaro's imminent departure from office and pressured allies to take some action.
"When she saw the change coming, she almost freaked out, she panicked," said the former aide. According to him, the former first lady insisted that people close to her react. "She told us to do something, we had to do something," Cid declared to investigators.
The testimony also revealed the actions of a group that resisted the democratic transition and discussed ways to keep Bolsonaro in power. Among those involved, Cid cited the former president's son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, as well as Magno Malta, Onyx Lorenzoni, Gilson Machado, and General Mário Fernandes.
According to the former aide-de-camp, Fernandes was one of the most active in trying to convince military personnel to join the coup. "He would talk to generals, he would talk to the Army commander, Freire Gomes, trying to convince them. He was very overt, he wrote about it in military WhatsApp groups," he revealed. The testimony indicates that the general's insistent stance almost resulted in punishment from the Army's high command.