Did Brazilian Justice Moraes just move his money out of the US? Musk responds

Reports circulating on social media claim that Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has moved all his assets out of the United States. The allegations follow comments from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) co-founder Elon Musk asking if Moraes, currently facing two lawsuits in the US, owned property within the country’s jurisdiction. 

On Wednesday, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which owns Truth Social, filed a lawsuit against Moraes in a US federal court in Tampa, Florida. The suit accuses the Brazilian justice of unlawfully censoring right-wing voices alongside the video-sharing social platform Rumble. 

The legal action could force the Brazilian Supreme Court minister to appear physically in court. Owing to his ongoing feud with President Trump’s “First Buddy,” Elon Musk, netizens are now speculating that Moraes transferred his assets for fear of being penalized if found guilty.

“Sounds like he’s trying to hide his assets,” Musk shared on X.

Musk complains of censorship, Moraes cries fascism

On February 20, the Brazilian justice system ordered Musk’s social media platform X to pay 8.1 million reais ($1.42 million) for failing to comply with judicial orders. The fine stemmed from a legal case in which X was directed to remove one account accused of “spreading misinformation.”  

Elon Musk shut down X’s Brazilian office in late August after firing all the social platform’s staff in the country, but X is still up and running in the country. At the time, he called the decision “difficult” but ridiculed Moraes’ orders as an abuse of power. 

Moraes had previously demanded the removal of dozens of accounts accused of spreading hate speech, which Musk viewed as violating free speech principles.

Shortly after X’s closure in Brazil, Moraes escalated the standoff by ordering a nationwide block on the platform. This led to a surge in demand for VPNs as users sought to bypass restrictions, while some migrated to alternative social media platforms like Bluesky. 

X began complying with court orders by September, which forced the hand of the Brazilian Court to lift the country-wide ban it had imposed on X.

According to local news publication Folha, Justice Moraes accused tech companies and social media platforms of using algorithms to spread a “fascist ideology,” manipulate political discourse, and amass wealth by focusing more “on engagements than truth.” 

🇧🇷 ALEXANDRE DE MORAES: BIG TECH ARE A ‘FASCIST MACHINE’ FOR POWER AND PROFIT

Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes claims tech giants are using algorithms to push a “fascist ideology,” influence politics, and rake in massive profits.

He says they amplify outrage… https://t.co/NLGukbxnlw pic.twitter.com/Xkyv69LZaT

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 25, 2025

Still, his critics assert that social media platforms are not manufacturing discontent; Brazilians use these platforms to voice genuine frustration with the government and Supreme Court decisions.

Lawsuits pile on Moraes

According to Folha, Trump Media and Rumble are challenging Moraes’ orders, which demanded the latter shut down the account of right-wing commentator Allan dos Santos and hand over all of his user data. The plaintiffs argue that these orders violate US sovereignty, constitution, and American law.

Moraes had allegedly issued the orders in secret and capped Rumble from disclosing their contents. The video platform previously left Brazil in December 2023, citing what it described as unjust censorship demands from Moraes. These included orders to ban multiple content creators, including elected members of Brazil’s Congress. 

In January 2023, leaked documents revealed that Moraes had issued directives to multiple social platforms, including Rumble, giving them only two hours to comply or face substantial fines. In response, Rumble opted to suspend its operations in Brazil rather than comply.

Pressure from the Trump administration and Elon Musk, who both vowed to shield American technology companies from foreign censorship, forced Moraes to reverse an order against one account belonging to podcaster Monark.  

However, almost immediately, Moraes reportedly made new directives to Rumble’s former lawyers in Brazil, instructing them to represent the company again so they could receive more judicial orders on its behalf.

Attorneys representing the company affiliated with President Trump argue that restricting Rumble’s operations in Brazil also impacts its business, as the platform provides services necessary for maintaining the data servers of the Truth Social network.

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