Brazil's PL Chief Criticizes Flávio Bolsonaro's Self-Proclaimed Presidency Letter

The president of Brazil's Liberal Party (PL), Valdemar Costa Neto, said he disliked a letter from Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in which the senator declared himself the "true elected president of Brazil." Costa Neto made the comment Thursday while visiting former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest. Flávio Bolsonaro released the letter Wednesday after fleeing to the United States, following his defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Sunday's election. The senator later softened his language in a revised version, calling himself the "leader of Brazil" instead. Costa Neto's visit was authorized by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The letter, which had three versions, repeated unproven claims of electoral fraud and criticized the extension of voting hours. Lula won with 51.78% of valid votes, a margin of 4.4 million votes, and his victory was recognized by the electoral court and the PL party itself.