Brazilian President Michel Temer on Wednesday denied a report that he had authorized payments to silence a possible witness in the country's biggest-ever graft probe. Temer acknowledged in a prepared statement that he had met in early March with Joesley Batista, the chairman of meatpacker JBS SA, who according to newspaper O Globo recorded a discussion with Temer about hush money for jailed former House Speaker Eduardo Cunha. Temer said his conversation with Batista did not 'compromise his conduct' as president.
