'Homosexual face': Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro lashes out at media

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (right) speaks next to his son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, in Brasilia in November 2019. PHOTO: AFP

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro lashed out at journalists on Friday (Dec 20), singling out one as looking like a homosexual, amid news reports of a corruption investigation linked to his son.

A visibly upset Bolsonaro accused the press of bias against him and his son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.

Prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro are investigating allegations the younger Bolsonaro hired employees with no duties while he was a state legislator.

Another investigation is probing whether those "phantom" workers kicked back part of their salaries to then be laundered through a chocolate shop he co-owns.

In a video posted to Faceook, the younger Bolsonaro has delivered a lengthy denial of all wrongdoing.

The drone of accusations has been a thorn in the side of President Bolsonaro, who was elected on an anti-crime platform to purge the political class of corruption.

He has routinely attacked the credibility of mainstream media, particularly targeting the goliath Globo, for unfair coverage.

At a routine morning meeting with journalists in the capital, the president complained that media have accused him of being a racist and committing crimes against the environment.

Then he told one reporter, "Your face looks an awful lot like a homosexual's, but that's no reason to accuse you of being a homosexual."

The comment was met with laughs from his aides and supporters standing nearby.

Asked whether he had proof that a suspicious deposit into his wife's bank account was merely repayment of a debt, he instructed the journalist, "Ask your mother if she gave your dad a receipt," prompting a cheer from his supporters.

He then asked whether the reporter had a receipt for his shoes.

"No, you don't have it!" he concluded.

Bolsonaro also complained that details of a sealed investigation have consistently leaked to the press.

"Is the process under seal or not? Answer! Answer, damn it!" he said, then accused Rio's prosecutors' office of having a "direct line" to Globo's news channel.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.