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A clown who won a seat in Brazil's Congress has used public money to employ two television comedians as parliamentary secretaries.
Tiririca secured 1.3 million votes - more than any other candidate - to be elected in last October's national polls.
His campaign saw him release videos on YouTube watched by millions and featured slogans such as "It can't get any worse".
Now, it has emerged that two television colleagues who wrote the slogans are drawing sizable public salaries to assist Tiririca in his role as a federal deputy for Sao Paulo.
Jose Americo Niccolini and Ivan de Oliveira are paid up to R$8,000 (£3,079) per month plus bonuses, according to reports in Brazil.
The two have known Tiririca for ten years after working with him on a long-running comedy television show.
"He chose us because we helped in the campaign, only because of that.
Because he believes that we can give good ideas," Mr Niccolini told the Brazilian newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.
He added that they do their work as political advisers in the same office used by the comedy group to which they belong because Tiririca still does not have an office in Sao Paulo.
Another of the key messages used by Tiririca in his election campaign and written by the two men was: "What does a federal deputy do? Truly, I don't know. But vote for me and I will find out for you."
Tiririca, whose real name is Francisco Everardo Oliveira Silva, started working in a circus aged eight in the state of Ceara in the poor north-east of Brazil.
He survived a legal challenge to his right to stand as an electoral candidate amid claims that he was not fully literate after taking tests in reading and writing.
A spokesman for Tiririca said: "The deputy Tiririca nominated the advisers, taking into account the criteria of knowing them personally and also the fact that they are two communicators who are going to collaborate and develop work within the deputy's theme."
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