Bolsonaro Weaponized Brasil's Intelligence Agency

The Deeper State BRAZIL Brazil’s intelligence agency spied on members of the judiciary, lawmakers and journalists during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro between 2019 and 2023, according to a federal police investigation, the Associated Press reported. According to documents released by Brazil’s supreme court, authorities issued five arrest warrants to dismantle a “criminal organization” that allegedly used systems within the agency – known by its Portuguese acronym ABIN – to illegally monitor public officials and disseminate fake news. Court records said the detained individuals ran a “parallel structure” within the ABIN to facilitate these operations, including efforts to interfere with police investigations targeting Bolsonaro’s sons. Some of the people who were spied on included Supreme Justice Alexandre de Moraes and journalists Mônica Bergamo and Vera Magalhães. The 187-page police report also includes incriminating WhatsApp conversations discussing threats against Justice Moraes. Brazil’s attorney general hinted that the infiltrated ABIN cell was part of a broader criminal organization targeting opponents and institutions. Bolsonaro’s name is mentioned five times in the records, but he is not formally accused of ordering the espionage. Even so, the police probe found “that the ABIN had been instrumentalized, with a clear institutional deviation from clandestine actions, to monitor people related to investigations involving family members” of Bolsonaro. The recent investigation sparked outrage among the victims of the alleged illegal spying, with Senator Alessandro Vieira describing the acts as “typical of dictatorial governments.” It also puts further pressure on the embattled former president, who is already facing a slew of charges. Last week, authorities indicted Bolsonaro for embezzlement and asset laundering over an illegal scheme to sell $1.2 million in jewelry and luxury gifts from foreign governments, the BBC wrote. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro also faces investigations into whether he incited rioters to storm government buildings on Jan. 8, 2023, after losing the 2022 presidential election. Despite expressing regret for the unrest, he denies responsibility and has called the cases against him politically motivated.