What It Will Take to Stop Corruption in Brazil

Investors dumped Brazil's stocks and currency Thursday as the country's ever-proliferating corruption scandal spread to President Michel Temer. This latest twist in a seemingly endless saga not only threatens to stall vital economic reforms but also comes close to showing that the corruption in Brazil's government is literally beyond control.

Proving otherwise will require drastic measures. Sitting federal lawmakers have put themselves, in effect, above the law, and that will have to change. Brazil also needs electoral reform to repair a fragmented legislature where money, and little else, talks. Neither will be easy; nothing less will suffice.