Members of the Lula government (PT) and allied parliamentarians saw the attempt to dehydrate the powers of the Federal Police as a shot in the foot by the right in an initial report presented by Guilherme Derrite (PP-SP), considered one of the Executive’s main bets in the area of public security.
The president’s aides recognize that the government had been suffering strain among public opinion because of the security crisis that had just emerged. Derrite’s decision to include changes in the PF’s competence in the bill, however, generated representatives of civil society, jurists and experts — giving the Palácio do Planalto the ability to influence the public debate on this topic.
by decision of the president of the Chamber, (Republicanos-PB), in a setback for the federal government. The parliamentarian is the Secretary of Security of the government (Republicans), identified as a possible opponent of Lula in 2026.
Hours after the announcement, he addressed the government’s text, including the possibility of equating criminal factions with terrorist groups and the emptying of the PF’s powers in combating organized crime.
With this, Derrite’s report began to associate the opinion with , which was after great pressure from public opinion.
Planalto guided members of the government and appointed spokespeople to take a stand against Derrite’s text. In addition, explanatory videos were made by Secom (Secretariat of Social Communication) of the Presidency and published on social media. According to a government member, the defense of the PF is a topic that finds support among the population and is easy to understand.
The assessment of government officials is that if the rapporteur had only focused on toughening penalties and equating terrorism with criminal organizations, there would be a high chance of Planalto losing the political dispute and being defeated in plenary, in a new setback for the government.
Furthermore, they assessed that Derrite’s choice of Motta as rapporteur and subsequently the deputy’s text with these distortions provided ammunition for the , which had been used by Planalto in clashes with Congress to defend the tax justice agenda.
and critics of Derrite’s text began to circulate on the networks. In one of them, four men who are eating lobsters and drinking wine, celebrate Motta’s choice and the report presented, stating that, if it were approved, “the PF will no longer touch anything belonging to our friends and financiers: deputies, senators, businessmen, all protected and shielded”.
“It’s simple, we remove the government’s PL and put Derrete’s in its place: that way the PF leaves the game, problem solved”, says the video.
This Tuesday afternoon (11), at Palácio do Planalto, including the role of the PF, after the negative public repercussion. The announcement of the change was made alongside Motta and celebrated by government supporters.
Asked by Sheet If the changes served the government, Derrite stated that they served the population and that he was not contacted by the PT administration. “This is not retreat, this is strategy,” he said.
Even Motta’s allies recognized that it was a risky choice to appoint Derrite as the project’s rapporteur, but they say it was necessary for the president of the Chamber to demonstrate independence — and being internally criticized for this move.
An interlocutor close to the deputy says that he was opposed to Derrite’s decision to change the powers of the PF and that this point. Publicly, however, the two classified statements that the corporation would be hampered as “narratives”.
Furthermore, this interlocutor says that Motta acted as a mediator in the situation, interfacing between Derrite and members of the government, such as the general director of the PF, Andrei Rodrigues, and the Minister of Justice, Ricardo Lewandowski.
There is an assessment among Lula’s allies and assistants to the President of the Republic that, in the current situation, the government emerged victorious in this political dispute, managing to stop the strain it had been suffering and influence the public debate. They claim that Derrite’s retreat also has consequences for Tarcísio’s image and even among members of the National Congress.
Despite this, government officials preach caution and say it is necessary to monitor the vote on the project. This is because the opposition should try to change the text to equate terrorism and criminal factions.
Motta’s allies recognize the deterioration in his image, but say that, in the end, if the text is approved, the president of the Chamber will incorporate the measure into his legacy at the head of the House. And that the debate between parliamentarians around a text is natural and part of the legislative process.
Derrite, in turn, despite criticism, expanded his public exposure, at a time when he is remembered as a candidate for the Senate or Government of São Paulo next year. The secretary was defended by Motta and leaders of parties such as PP and MDB as a technical person, who did not use the project as a platform — the opposite view of the government, which sees the text’s processing as contaminated by the polls.
This Tuesday, during a press interview, the president of the Chamber and Derrite were accompanied by party leaders and deputies from acronyms such as PL, PP, PSDB, PDT, Novo, União Brasil and Solidariedade. The idea was to show support from deputies and parties.
