Opposition minimizes Ramagem’s case and says it goes through ‘standard procedure’

The arrest of former deputy Alexandre Ramagem in Florida, this Monday, provoked an immediate reaction from the opposition in Congress. The strategy was one of containment: allies began to minimize the episode and contest the version presented by the Federal Police (PF).

According to the PF, the arrest resulted from international collaboration between Brazilian and American authorities. Ramagem is considered a fugitive from Brazilian justice after being convicted by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) for an attempted coup d’état.

In the Bolsonarist camp, however, the public reading is different. Parliamentarians claim that he was not arrested, but only detained after being stopped for a traffic violation and taken to the immigration authorities — which they classify as “standard procedure” in the United States.

The version is the same as that defended by blogger Paulo Figueiredo, an ally of Eduardo Bolsonaro in the United States. Partner of an immigration company, he stated that his team is monitoring the case and providing legal assistance to Ramagem’s family, with the work of lawyers specialized in the migration area.

— Ramagem has a pending asylum request and is being assisted by lawyers. We do not see a risk of deportation at this time,” he said.

Representative Bia Kicis also reinforced this line and denied any relationship with decisions made by Minister Alexandre de Moraes.

— He was detained for a traffic violation and his license was not up to date. It has nothing to do with Alexandre de Moraes — he said.

The leader of the PL in the Chamber, Sóstenes Cavalcante, adopted the same tone when treating the case as an administrative routine.

— It wasn’t arrest, it was detention, a very common practice in the United States — he said.

He also directly criticized the Federal Police by rejecting the hypothesis of international cooperation.

— It’s regrettable to see a Federal Police authority saying something stupid like this. If it was cooperation, then he will have to be extradited — he said.

According to Sóstenes, the narrative of collaboration between the countries would be an attempt to politicize the episode.

Other deputies followed the same line. Deputy Marcel van Hattem (Novo-RS) stated that the PF “no longer has credibility”, while Zé Trovão classified the version presented by the body as “a lie”.

— Ramagem was arrested for a traffic violation, something common in the United States — he said.

Deputy Bibo Nunes also reacted, stating that the situation is “terrible”.

The statements refute information from the Federal Police that the arrest had taken place in conjunction with American authorities. The expectation among allies is that Ramagem will be released after a hearing with United States immigration authorities.

Trump didn’t buy the fight

Behind the scenes, however, the public discourse is not completely sustained. Interlocutors of former president Jair Bolsonaro admit, in reserve, that there may indeed be a relationship between the episode and Ramagem’s legal situation in Brazil — even if this connection is publicly denied.

The internal assessment is that the case exposes a point of weakness in the strategy set up by Eduardo Bolsonaro in the United States.

The reading among allies is that the investment in the American political environment — especially around Donald Trump — has not translated into a real capacity for protection or influence when concrete cases arise. In addition to today’s episode, they cite Trump’s decision to remove the Magnitsky Act sanctions against Moraes shortly after Bolsonaro’s conviction.

In this context, the feeling is one of frustration and fear that the case will consolidate the group’s perception of isolation abroad.

There is also an assessment that it is a direct burden on Eduardo, who moved to the United States precisely to work with American authorities and build a political support network capable of supporting allies in situations like this.