The battle between the world’s wealthiest man and Brazil’s most powerful man took a surprising turn with the involvement of a little-known American figure. Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, played a pivotal role in the conflict by publishing letters from Alexandre de Moraes, demanding the removal of content and blocking users from Twitter.
Jordan’s actions have been questioned by Elon Musk, owner of the social network X. A week ago, Musk promised to release all of Moraes’ decisions that determined content removal or user blocking on Twitter. However, doing so in Brazil exposed local X employees to Moraes’ pen. To solve this problem, Musk reached out to Jim Jordan, who is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the US House of Representatives. With Jordan’s help, Musk was able to obtain all necessary documents and produce a report released this Wednesday by the committee.
The report includes 88 letters sent by Moraes via TSE (Superior Electoral Court) and STF (Supreme Federal Court) to Twitter. Most of these letters did not provide justification for removing content. The interim report exposes Brazil’s censorship campaign and presents a concerning case study of how governments can justify censorship in the name of combating “hate speech” and “subversion” order.” After its release, STF press office only stated that “all STF decisions are substantiated,” but that these documents are just court orders sent to platforms.
In terms of his personal life, Jim Jordan is known for his conservative views and collaborative approach with fellow Democrats. He has an almost undefeated record in wrestling and politics, having won every election he has run in since 1994. He is also known for his strong stance against censorship and free speech rights in America, which was reflected in his October 2022 statement: “Two things the left hates: Elon Musk and the First Amendment.” Despite having no direct connection to Brazil or its population, his position on the Judiciary Committee made him an essential figure in this conflict between Elon Musk and Alexandre de Moraes.