‘Senator Underpants’ ignites new clash between Congress, Supreme Court

Unknown to most Brazilians until this week, Senator Chico Rodrigues of Amapá made international headlines after the Federal Police raided his home and found cash valued at thousands of dollars stashed “between his buttocks.” But while the case was received more as a fitting punchline to the degrading lows that corruption scandals seem to reach, it could have very serious consequences.

And that is because a Supreme Court justice ordered the suspension of Mr. Rodrigues from office for 90 days, a decision that can only be enforced if a majority of Brazil’s 81 senators agree with it — setting the stage for yet another clash between two branches of government.

President Jair Bolsonaro unceremoniously threw Mr. Rodrigues under the bus, denying any association with him — despite the abundance of video evidence of their mutual support, not to mention the fact that the senator was the government’s deputy whip.

But senators are a very cohesive bunch, and seem keen to disregard the Supreme Court — either by blatantly saying no to its decision, or by finding a more subtle way to circumvent the ruling. Sources shared messages with The Brazilian Report, exchanged between senators in WhatsApp groups — which included some saying that “there is nothing...