Protecting Cunha puts Temer in a dead end.
After the confirmation, by the newspaper O Globo itself, that the agreement for Eduardo Cunha's resignation from the presidency of the Chamber of Deputies involved the direct participation of the Presidential Palace, interim president Michel Temer may have jeopardized his provisional government; if Cunha manages to save himself, not only will the Chamber be demoralized by the process, but also the acting vice-president himself; however, if Temer fails to provide Cunha with the promised protection, he will be at the mercy of his eventual revenge; the fact that he endorsed the rescue of a politician who today symbolizes corruption (as reported by O Globo) demonstrates that, in practice, Temer is a hostage of Cunha and could be brought down by him at any moment.
247 - Why did Eduardo Cunha resign as president of the Chamber of Deputies? According to the newspaper O Globo, owned by the Marinho family, it was because he obtained a guarantee from interim president Michel Temer that, in doing so, he would be able to maintain his mandate as a federal deputy, preserving his privileged jurisdiction and avoiding being judged in Curitiba by Judge Sergio Moro.
One piece of evidence of the agreement was the appeal sent to the Constitution and Justice Committee, requesting that his impeachment process be returned to the ethics council – a maneuver that, according to O Globo, has Temer's "approval."
However, saving Cunha, accused of receiving tens of millions of dollars in bribes and maintaining several accounts abroad, would be disastrous not only for the Legislative branch, which would lose all credibility, but also for the Executive branch itself. Temer has been urged in all editorials of the traditional media, as well as by columnists like Jorge Bastos Moreno, to cut his umbilical cord with Cunha (read here).
However, talking is much easier than doing. If Temer decides to abandon his main ally by the roadside, whom he called a "tireless political and legal fighter" in a recent interview, he will be at the mercy of his eventual revenge. The fact that he endorsed the rescue of a politician who today symbolizes corruption (as reported by O Globo) demonstrates that, in practice, Temer is a hostage of Cunha and could be taken down by him at any moment.