Brasília

President Jair Bolsonaro accused the media on Monday of lying and defaming him and questioned whether the purpose of the press is to overthrow him.

As he left the Planalto Palace, where he greeted a group of supporters, he said media coverage of his government could not continue being "coward" and "crooked."

President Jair Bolsonaro - Reuters

"I regret that the Brazilian press acts that way. All the time lying, distorting, defaming. Do you want to bring me down? I have hard leather; it's going to be hard. Keep lying," he said.

The president's initially directed his criticism at Folha and the Correio Braziliense newspapers. He later also criticized the O Globo newspaper.

On Sunday (6), Folha revealed that a statement and a spreadsheet obtained by the Federal Police suggests that resources from the PSL's phantom candidate scheme in Minas Gerais were diverted to support the Bolsonaro campaign through a slush fund.

With this information, the Federal Police requested that the Public Prosecutor open a second investigation into the Minas Gerais scandal. This time the investigation will focus on the campaign accounts of the Minister of Tourism, Marcelo Álvaro Antônio.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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