Brazilian President Bolsonaro: profanity laced Cabinet meeting video a 'farce'

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday called a profanity-laced video showing him expressing frustration at his inability to get information from police and vowing to change Cabinet ministers if needed to protect his family a "farce."

The video, filmed in April, was released on Friday at the order of a Supreme Court justice and is seen as a potential new blow for a leader whose popularity has been sagging.

Speaking outside his residence in Brasilia on Friday, Bolsonaro told reporters and a group of supporters that "not one second" of the released video suggests he improperly meddled in the Federal Police.

The two-hour video of a Cabinet meeting, with portions redacted, was released as part of a probe into allegations that the president was trying to improperly meddle in the federal police, a claim made by former justice minister Sérgio Moro when he resigned last month.

Moro told investigators that Bolsonaro openly demanded he make changes in key federal police positions, including the head of the agency.

Moro resigned after Bolsonaro fired the federal police director-general without consulting him.

The video also puts other ministers on the spot.

Human Rights Minister Damares Alves is heard in the video saying she will ask for the arrest of governors and mayors fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Environment Minister Ricardo Salles, an ally of Brazil's agricultural lobby, is heard saying the administration should seize the pandemic to change rules and regulations in his area.