Trump Media & Technology Group, of which Trump owns a majority stake, teamed up with right-wing backed video platform Rumble to file a lawsuit Wednesday against Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, accusing him of illegal political censorship. 

The lawsuit alleges Moraes “violated the free speech protections of the First Amendment when he ordered the suspension of the U.S.-based accounts of a specific well-known, politically outspoken user” from Brazil who’s currently in asylum in Florida, as AP News reported.

Moraes had previously ordered the person’s arrest for allegedly spreading disinformation.

Some Context

In recent years, Brazil, similar to the European Union, has implemented measures to change the way information is spread online. These measures have occasionally incited concern among those who consider it likely this could be censorship.

Musk's platform, X, was temporarily banned in Brazil for dissemination of misinformation and extremism. However, the prohibition was lifted last year after the company paid millions of dollars in fines and appointed a Brazilian lawyer as its local representative in compliance with the law.

One of the platforms that was purportedly stolen from former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, was Rumble, which was accused of disseminating disinformation and promoting extremism in preparation for the 2022 Brazilian election.

The complaint claims that Moraes unlawfully compelled Rumble to suspend "certain accounts" in order to adhere to Brazil's anti-disinformation policies.

Case Details

In essence, Trump's media company is displeased with Brazil's establishment of regulations regarding the operation of social media companies within its borders.

The coincidence seems to be worthy of note, since Bolsonaro was charged earlier this week by a top prosecutor with involvement in a coup conspiracy that involved the poisoning of Moraes and the shooting of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro referred to the allegations as "vague accusations" and stated that officials were required to "fabricate" them. The Supreme Court, on which Moraes sits, will determine whether Bolsonaro will be tried.

Another Viewpoint

In an interview with The Guardian, an expert from the Karsh Institute of Democracy claimed that the legal action "is truly an attempt to create confusion, apply political pressure, and weaken Moraes's standing."

It is troubling to some that Trump's media organization is participating in targeting Moraes, regardless of its objectives.

If the president's firm is really trying to force its political agenda on a foreign country, it's because of censorship accusations. A judge supervising the Bolsonaro case has even shown signs of interference, which is cause for alarm.

This is probably just the beginning of Trump's media empire's attempts to exert political influence.