Faced with the ‘firing squad’, as he puts it, he has slipped back into the role of the Lawyer. The Brothers have had their sights set on him for some time; they want to put him on trial over the pandemic, and he is fighting back. With the election campaign now underway – and the broader political campaign too – every opportunity must be seized. So the former prime minister speaks before the Covid committee but addresses “those listening from home”. He attacks Draghi, calling him a “persecutor”. And he produces a “previously unpublished” document concerning mask supplies from JC Electronics: “They could be counterfeit.” This is the company headed by Dario Bianchi, a close associate of FdI, to whom the state awarded 100 million euros following a legal dispute. (Montenegro continues on page three)This is the lawyer’s first move. It marks the start of the long-awaited showdown over Covid – the follow-up will take place on 14 September – following weeks of accusations, buck-passing and delays with Meloni’s supporters. The document concerning JC Electronics, explains Conte, was sent to him anonymously and will be dealt with by the courts. Shortly afterwards, Bianchi’s company will respond to the M5S leader with a press release: “The masks comply with regulations. Conte should waive his immunity and appear in court.” The former prime minister presses on, casting suspicion also on the 100 million settlement granted by the government – following a dispute over the masks – to the Colleferro-based company owned by Dario Bianchi, who is invited to FdI party events: “Instead, a decree-law was rushed through. An absurd settlement”, on which even the PD, through Francesco Boccia, has long been demanding explanations. Not least because Bianchi appeared before the Covid committee without ever mentioning any of this. The ‘trial’, or at least the first part of it, lasts a whole afternoon, and for Conte it is an opportunity to look back to the days of the red-and-yellow coalition government to defend all the decisions and legislative measures taken during that period. This includes the subsequent negotiations on the NRRP in Europe. “Meloni called me a criminal. But what did the right do to tackle the pandemic?”, attacks the leader of the M5S. “You’ll never find anything illegal”, he replies to the accusations regarding the mask purchases levelled against him by Meloni’s supporters. And whilst the current Prime Minister never cooperated during the emergency, “Berlusconi showed a sense of responsibility”.For FdI, it’s ‘all just a campaign rally’, as group leader Lucio Malan puts it, but it’s a platform they have also sought – perhaps above all – in Via della Scrofa. Conte makes the most of it in his own way and even finds a way to take a swipe at rearmament. And then, to mark his distance from Mario Draghi and go on the offensive: “I left the government in February 2021. After that, there was another government.” Shortly afterwards, responding to questions from MPs, the leader also revealed that he did not agree with all the measures adopted by Draghi at Palazzo Chigi. And so, for example, the green pass is fine, but in the compulsory vaccination for the over-50s, Conte sees “a bit of a desire to persecute” whereby “you are forced to have the vaccine. “There, frankly, I saw something that went too far.” But he clarifies: “I’ve never sympathised with the anti-vaxxers.” And why did he vote for the measures put forward by Draghi, the ‘persecutor’? “Otherwise the government would have fallen”—the same applies to the Cartabia Law. The M5S leader rewinds the tape, but his words send signals ahead of the coming months – Schlein, the former ECB president, met him recently – dispelling rumours of political intrigues and power games. After his speech, Conte answers questions. Support comes from afar from Roberto Speranza, who was his Health Minister (and Sandra Zampa’s). Francesco Boccia defends him: “Conte has set the record straight.” Towards the end, it is Federica Onori, of Azione, who asks Conte about the Russian mission to Italy. “That aid was not arranged by me out of pro-Russian sentiment.” It was a necessity, according to the former prime minister, due to the emergency. “The more I explain that I condemn Putin, the more you ignore him.” It is well known that Conte no longer wants to send weapons to Kyiv. But he does not want Russian gas either, “until there is a peace agreement”. And furthermore, “I am absolutely in favour of sanctions against Russia”. The controversy within the broader coalition, at least for today, seems to have been averted. But Conte’s election campaign continues, on the offensive.