Is Bolsonaro launching his own private intelligence agency?

In the now-infamous April 22 cabinet meeting — which was recorded and later made public — President Jair Bolsonaro complained about the reliability of his official intelligence services, suggesting that he has his own private system in place. “Information systems: my own one works,” said the president on tape. “Those that exist officially misinform.” Now, the president is apparently aiming to expand the reach of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin), according to a new decree published in a late edition of the Federal Gazette on July 31.

This is Mr. Bolsonaro’s first change to the agency’s inner workings — the main intelligence body in the country. And the alterations will give extra powers to Abin, extending its existing mandate and scope for operations. These include the creation of a new unit, the National Intelligence Center, staffed by 17 full-time agents.

The decree also tweaks the agency’s jurisdiction in three points — changing the previous regulations dating back to 2016. And they are sufficiently broad enough to be dangerous if wielded by the wrong hands, especially if the president, to...