U.S. House Judiciary Committee reveals Brazilian judge’s decisions targeting Elon Musk’s X platform

Dozens of decisions made by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, related to his targeting of Elon Musk’s social media platform X, have been made public despite the judge’s efforts to keep them secret.

The House Judiciary Committee revealed the decisions in a 541-page staff report, obtained through committee subpoenas involving X, the Associated Press reported Friday.

According to investigative journalist Michael Shellenberger, Justice de Moraes had demanded permanent bans on at least 150 X profiles belonging to elected officials and journalists.

Shellenberger raised concerns that these demands for bans may constitute electoral interference, given the dependence of elected leaders on social media.

He wrote:

Given the dependence of elected leaders on social media, these demands for bans may constitute electoral interference. In one case, De Moraes demanded that all major social media platforms, including at least one, Twitter, which did not publish the offending material, ban a federal Congressman, Marcel Van Hattem. The TSE had claimed that Van Hattem had criticized the election results. Not only had Van Hattan’s video not been related to the elections, but it was also a criticism of the Labor Department. It was released one day before the election.

Years Of US-UK Military And Intelligence Planning Behind Sweeping Brazil Censorship, Evidence Suggests

_Secret evidence, specialized spy units, and permanent bans on populists were key tactics developed by government operatives_

Late last night, the Judiciary Committee of the… pic.twitter.com/dWRJpwTs6b

— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) April 18, 2024

X’s decision to comply with U.S. law and respond to the House Judiciary Committee has drawn mixed reactions. Carlos Affonso, director of the nonprofit Institute of Technology and Society, accused Musk of inventing “a new form of non-compliance of a court order, through an intermediary,” by revealing the documents through a third party.

De Moraes absolutely interfered with the Brazil elections https://t.co/QYCQf02Vzq

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 18, 2024

The revelations are particularly significant given that approximately 40 million Brazilians, or about 18% of the population, access X at least once per month, according to market research group eMarketer.

The controversy began earlier this month when de Moraes ordered X to block certain accounts. Musk initially stated he would defy the court’s order once his employees were in a “safe place” where they could not be arrested. In response, de Moraes issued a decision accusing Musk of obstruction of justice and incitement to crime. On April 13, X’s legal representative in Brazil informed de Moraes that they would comply with all court orders.