<p>Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday that it was wrong for him to tell a journalist a day earlier that he had "the face of a homosexual."</p>.<p>"I was wrong. I shouldn't have said it," the country's far-right leader told reporters at the presidential residence in Brasilia, according to the news website G1.</p>.<p>The original comment by the notoriously outspoken president came in response to a reporter's question about an investigation into his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, for alleged money laundering when he was a regional deputy.</p>.<p>Pressed by the reporter, a visibly flustered Bolsonaro replied, "You have the face of a homosexual, but that doesn't mean I'm going to accuse you of being a homosexual."</p>.<p>His comments, while welcomed by some Bolsonaro supporters, sparked a sharp reaction from media groups.</p>.<p>The Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI) accused Bolsonaro, a frequent critic of the press, of "promoting the moral harassment of journalists... (whose work) is fundamental for democracy."</p>.<p>In an editorial Saturday, the daily O Estado de S.Paulo, one of the country's largest papers, said Bolsonaro lacked "the necessary decorum for the job."</p>.<p>It said his behaviour "shames citizens and compromises the country's reputation."</p>.<p>Bolsonaro, who is nearing the end of his first year in office, told Playboy magazine in 2011 that he "wouldn't be able to love a gay son... I'd prefer a son to die in an accident."</p>.<p>On Friday, Bolsonaro lashed out at prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro for allegedly leaking information about the inquiry into his son.</p>.<p>"The investigation began last year and they've still found nothing," the president said.</p>.<p>Two days earlier, police had raided several properties owned by the younger Bolsonaro, by his former aides or by President Bolsonaro's ex-wife.</p>.<p>Flavio Bolsonaro -- who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing -- is suspected of having employed phantom employees whose salaries were then used to buy an apartment and a chocolate store.</p>
<p>Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Saturday that it was wrong for him to tell a journalist a day earlier that he had "the face of a homosexual."</p>.<p>"I was wrong. I shouldn't have said it," the country's far-right leader told reporters at the presidential residence in Brasilia, according to the news website G1.</p>.<p>The original comment by the notoriously outspoken president came in response to a reporter's question about an investigation into his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, for alleged money laundering when he was a regional deputy.</p>.<p>Pressed by the reporter, a visibly flustered Bolsonaro replied, "You have the face of a homosexual, but that doesn't mean I'm going to accuse you of being a homosexual."</p>.<p>His comments, while welcomed by some Bolsonaro supporters, sparked a sharp reaction from media groups.</p>.<p>The Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI) accused Bolsonaro, a frequent critic of the press, of "promoting the moral harassment of journalists... (whose work) is fundamental for democracy."</p>.<p>In an editorial Saturday, the daily O Estado de S.Paulo, one of the country's largest papers, said Bolsonaro lacked "the necessary decorum for the job."</p>.<p>It said his behaviour "shames citizens and compromises the country's reputation."</p>.<p>Bolsonaro, who is nearing the end of his first year in office, told Playboy magazine in 2011 that he "wouldn't be able to love a gay son... I'd prefer a son to die in an accident."</p>.<p>On Friday, Bolsonaro lashed out at prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro for allegedly leaking information about the inquiry into his son.</p>.<p>"The investigation began last year and they've still found nothing," the president said.</p>.<p>Two days earlier, police had raided several properties owned by the younger Bolsonaro, by his former aides or by President Bolsonaro's ex-wife.</p>.<p>Flavio Bolsonaro -- who has repeatedly denied wrongdoing -- is suspected of having employed phantom employees whose salaries were then used to buy an apartment and a chocolate store.</p>