As Brazilians mourned the recent plane crash that killed 71 people, including almost an entire soccer team, President Michel Temer spent days publicly wavering about whether to attend the memorial service in the southern city of Chapeco.

His allies in congress were even less tactful: They launched an around-the-clock session seeking to gut anti-corruption legislation on the same day people learned of the disaster, spurring violent protests in the capital of Brasilia.