Bolsonaro meddling with Feds is inappropriate. But not necessarily criminal

On Saturday evening, after nine hours in the Federal Police headquarters in Curitiba, ten pages of testimony, and 16 takeaway pizzas, it seemed to many as if former Justice Minister Sergio Moro had handed Feds the keys that would bring down the Jair Bolsonaro government. Three days later, however, Mr. Moro’s statements were willingly leaked to the press, and it soon became clear that the bomb promised by the ex-cabinet minister would go off not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Brazil has a saying for when corruption investigations fizzle out this way, that “everything ends in pizza” — rarely has it been more literal.

Sergio Moro’s testimony contained much of what he had already told the press upon announcing his resignation on April 24. He explained that he disagreed with the president’s intention to fire Federal Police Chief Mauricio Valeixo and accused Mr. Bolsonaro of trying to interfere politically in the functioning of the corporation.

Crucially, however, Mr. Moro refused to state whether he was accusing President Bolsonaro of having committed any crimes, which could go some way in letting his former boss off the hook as the investigation unfolds. This reticence could be explained by the fact that the ex-Justice Minister himself is also the subject of the probe, and admitting crimes committed by Mr. Bolsonaro could see Mr. Moro face...