In 2015 and 2016, Temer has been involved in controversy as Dilma Roussef‘s impeachment process unfolds. In December 2015, Temer sent a letter (Carta de Temer a Dilma) to the president complaining about his distance from government decisions. The letter began in Latin with the proverb „Verba Volant, Scripta Manent“ which translates to „spoken words fly, written words remain“. Mr. Temer then describes the communication as “personal,” and a means of unburdening himself about various complaints against the president. He said Ms. Rousseff has made him look like a “decorative” vice president rather than an active one, despite having being invited to support the government of his running mate several times in the dialogue with Congress. Mr. Temer only accepted that role in 2015.

The letter has already been widely mocked on Brazilian social media, with images depicting the vice president as a Christmas decoration, making fun of his use of Latin, and photos purporting to show the president laughing while she reads the missive, among many other things. The president’s office also had no immediate comment on the images. [6]

Later, in April 2016, Mr. Temer released „accidentally“ an audio file that was allegedly sent incorrectly to a WhatsApp group of his party‘s representatives in Congress. In the audio, Mr. Temer speaks as if the impeachment process had already been confirmed and he was the sitting president. [7]

“I don’t want to generate false expectations,” Temer said on the recordings, which were first published by Folha de Sao Paulo on Monday afternoon. “Let’s not think that a possible change in government will solve everything in three or four months.”

The leak came just hours before a special lower house committee was scheduled to vote whether to back the request to impeach the president, generating complaints and accusations of treachery and lack of support from a Vice President conspiring against the elected president.