Brazilian ex-porn star turned lawmaker Alexandre Frota was kicked out of President Jair Bolsonaro’s ultraconservative party Tuesday, after daring to publicly criticize the leader.
Frota, 55, had denounced Bolsonaro’s nepotistic plan to nominate his son Eduardo to Brazil‘s top diplomatic posting of ambassador to the United States, and his praise for a torturer during the 1964-1985 military dictatorship.
“We have decided to exclude the congressman from the party,” said Luciano Bivar, president of the Social Liberal Party, at the end of a meeting in the capital Brasilia.
“He said the Constitution gave him the right to express his thoughts, but he forgot that he is part of an institution, a political party, and must respect its hierarchy.”
In a recent opinion piece, Frota said “diplomatic relations should not be confused with personal friendships”, in apparent reference to Eduardo’s purported friendship with US President Donald Trump‘s children.
Bolsonaro has caused a stir by nominating his son as US ambassador, with many accusing him of nepotism. Prosecutors moved to block the appointment Monday, filing an injunction in the federal court requesting a ruling on the necessary experience for such a posting.
In a Buzzfeed interview last week, Frota also disagreed with Bolsonaro’s description of a notorious torturer during the period of military rule as a “national hero.”
“For me, the national hero is Ayrton Senna,” Frota said, referring to the Brazilian Formula One great killed in 1994.
Frota also upset his ultraconservative party colleagues by abstaining from last week’s important vote on Bolsonaro’s signatory pension reform bill that won overwhelming support in the lower house.
Frota, 55, elected to represent the state of São Paulo, originally starred in Brazilian telenovelas as well as reality TV.
In 2004, Frota directed the pornographic film A Boneca da Casa launching the pornographic career of transgender Casa dos Artistas reality show participant Bianca Soares.
Yahoo News
