In Brazil Senate, Rousseff proclaims innocence

‘I know I will be judged, but my conscience is clear’

BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazil’s suspended president proclaimed her innocence Monday, branding her vice president a “usurper” and warning senators that history would judge them harshly if they ousted a democratically elected leader on false charges.

Dilma Rousseff’s much anticipated speech to the lawmakers who will decide whether to remove her from office was characterized by the same defiance she has shown throughout an impeachment process that has divided Latin America’s most populous nation.

“I know I will be judged, but my conscience is clear. I did not commit a crime,” Rousseff told senators.

In the middle of her second term, the left-leaning leader has been accused of breaking fiscal rules to hide problems in the federal budget.

She has denied any wrongdoing, accusing her opponents of a “coup d’état.”

Rousseff reminded those in attendance that she was re-elected in 2014 by more than 54 million votes, asserting that at every moment since she has followed the constitution and sought to do what was best for the country.

Brazil’s first female president is a former guerrilla fighter who was jailed and tortured during the country’s dictatorship, and Rousseff drew a connection between her past and the situation today.

“I can’t help but taste the bitterness of injustice,” she said of the process that will decide not only her fate but the nation’s political future.