Brazil copies Trump's bad behavior
As an old friend of Brazil, I've followed with growing concern the erratic behsvior of its president, Jair Bolsonaro. Following is a translation of an article on the showdown between Trump..er, Bolsonaro and his Justice Minister, a popular prosecutor who took down several ex-presidents -- including the corrupt Lula and his successor.
"Sergio Moro confirms resignation as Justice Minister, leaving the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro after nearly 16 months.
"...Moro said a significant factor behind his decision was [Bolsnaro's] decision to fire Maurício Valeixo, director-general of the Federal Police, who had been appointed for the position by Moro himself....
"[Moro said]'It is absolutely untrue that Valeixo wished to leave.' In Moro’s view, the replacement of the director-general without a plausible reason impacts the credibility of more than just the Federal Police.
“'The big problem in this move is that this could be a violation of the guarantee given to me when I accepted the invitation to join the government -- the guarantee that I was to have carte blanche.'
"'Interference in the Federal Police makes an impact on credibility, both mine and that of the government -- and also that of the Federal Police, leading to a disorganization that, despite the problems of corruption in previous governments, did not exist in the past,'
"Moro...argued that 'this should be linked to the performance of whoever was occupying the post, 'or a serious misstep. However, what I saw throughout the period is that his work was well done,' the minister declared.
"Moro pointed out that he talked to the president on Thursday (4/23) about the possibility of changing the head of the Federal Police, mentioning the negative impact that the decision would bring about. 'I said it would make an impact on everyone, that it was negative, but, in order to prevent a [political] crisis during the pandemic, I signaled: "Mr. President, we should replace Valeixo with someone that represents the continuity of the work,"’” the minister said, revealing he went as far as to suggest the name of Federal Police Executive Director Disney Rosseti, a career official.
"Moro also said the president favors other names. He was very open to tell me, once again, that he wanted someone he has personal contact with, someone he could call, collect information, someone he could collect intelligence reports from. -[Sound familiar? Just read "FBI" instead. of "Federal Police"...]
"'This is really not the role of the Federal Police,' Moro stated."
"Sergio Moro confirms resignation as Justice Minister, leaving the administration of President Jair Bolsonaro after nearly 16 months.
"...Moro said a significant factor behind his decision was [Bolsnaro's] decision to fire Maurício Valeixo, director-general of the Federal Police, who had been appointed for the position by Moro himself....
"[Moro said]'It is absolutely untrue that Valeixo wished to leave.' In Moro’s view, the replacement of the director-general without a plausible reason impacts the credibility of more than just the Federal Police.
“'The big problem in this move is that this could be a violation of the guarantee given to me when I accepted the invitation to join the government -- the guarantee that I was to have carte blanche.'
"'Interference in the Federal Police makes an impact on credibility, both mine and that of the government -- and also that of the Federal Police, leading to a disorganization that, despite the problems of corruption in previous governments, did not exist in the past,'
"Moro...argued that 'this should be linked to the performance of whoever was occupying the post, 'or a serious misstep. However, what I saw throughout the period is that his work was well done,' the minister declared.
"Moro pointed out that he talked to the president on Thursday (4/23) about the possibility of changing the head of the Federal Police, mentioning the negative impact that the decision would bring about. 'I said it would make an impact on everyone, that it was negative, but, in order to prevent a [political] crisis during the pandemic, I signaled: "Mr. President, we should replace Valeixo with someone that represents the continuity of the work,"’” the minister said, revealing he went as far as to suggest the name of Federal Police Executive Director Disney Rosseti, a career official.
"Moro also said the president favors other names. He was very open to tell me, once again, that he wanted someone he has personal contact with, someone he could call, collect information, someone he could collect intelligence reports from. -[Sound familiar? Just read "FBI" instead. of "Federal Police"...]
"'This is really not the role of the Federal Police,' Moro stated."