Amid rumors that Glenn Greenwald could face deportation under a new government decree, Bolsonaro stated  that “he will not be kicked out” – but instead might “do jail time in Brazil.” The decree, issued by Justice Minister Sergio Moro, allows summary expulsion of people accused of unconstitutional acts or deemed a danger to the “security of Brazil.”

Bolsonaro said nothing about the charges that could land the reporter in prison, though. Instead, he attacked Greenwald’s choice of life partner, claiming that the journalist might have engaged in a relationship with a Brazilian citizen only to avoid deportation.

“Trickster, trickster, to avoid such a problem [of deportation], he marries another trickster and adopts a child in Brazil,” Bolsonaro said. “That is the problem we have. He will not leave.”

Greenwald immediately hit back, calling the president a “wannabe dictator” and saying that he “has no power” to order arrests and deportations, especially since authorities have nothing incriminating against him. He also mocked the Bolsonaro’s remark about his far-reaching matrimonial plans.

The co-founder of the Intercept has been under pressure ever since the Intercept published a series of bombshell reports targeting the very same minister Moro – a former judge and a close ally of Bolsonaro. Based on a trove of leaked communication logs, the reports alleged that as part of a high-profile anti-corruption probe known as the Operation Car Wash, Moro in fact actively worked together with a group of Brazilian prosecutors to undermine Brazil’s leftist Workers’ Party and prevent former president Lula de Silva from returning to power, clearing the way for Bolsonaro’s eventual victory last year.

The leaks triggered a scandal that dominated headlines in Brazil for weeks and sparked heated debates in the parliament. Since then, Greenwald says his family received multiple “grotesque” threats of violence, while authorities reportedly launched an investigation against the journalist.

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