Vice-President Temer writes to Rousseff with concerns of “distrust” from her

Vice-President Michel Temer sent a letter to President Dilma Rousseff pointing out facts that he says “reveal” that the government does not trust him and his PMDB party.

According to the vice-president's press office, his decision to write the letter was made after President Rousseff said at a press conference Monday morning (Dec. 7) that she was planning to have a conversation with him that same day.

The letter, delivered at Palácio do Planalto in the late afternoon, was not meant as a breakup with parties or the government, according to the press office. “He [Temer] was bringing up events occurring in the past five years, but he did so with respect to the trust on which relationships between public officers in charge of a country should be founded.”

On its Twitter account, the press office said it was a “personal” letter and that the vice-president was surprised at the public disclosure of the contents “considering its confidential nature.” It said Temer will keep “the private personal discussion private.” Moreover, according to his press office, Temer was calling on the country to reunite, something “he has advocated on previous occasions.”

In the morning, Dilma Rousseff said she had no reason to entertain even “one millimeter” of suspicion against Temer. Her press secretary has not confirmed whether the letter was received by the president's office yet.

Temer landed in Brasília shortly before 9 pm after spending the weekend in São Paulo. He met leaders of his PMDB party, including the president of the Ulysses Guimarães Foundation, an academic think tank linked to the party, at Palácio do Jaburu (the official vice-president's residency).

The vice-president has also welcomed Attorney General Luís Inácio Adams to a meeting at his official residency at about 11:45 pm. The visit had not been pre-arranged, and the topic of the conversation is not known.

Translated by Mayra Borges