Brazil govt weighs suing paper over article on election threats: defense minister

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The Brazilian government is considering suing national newspaper Estado de S. Paulo for a July 22 article that stated that Defense Minister Walter Souza Braga Netto had threatened the 2022 election, Braga Netto told lawmakers in Brasilia on Tuesday.

The article, which cited anonymous sources, said that Braga Netto had told the head of Brazil's lower house that the election would not take place if it was not conducted via printed ballot, a measure pushed by right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. Both Braga Netto and House Speaker Arthur Lira denied the report.

(Reporting by Eduardo Simões in Sao Paulo; Writing by Gram Slattery)