Brazil’s president has launched a homophobic attack on a journalist in a likely attempt to detract from a criminal investigation into his son’s alleged corruption.

Jair Bolsonaro, who was elected on a ticket to purge the political class of corruption, railed against media scrutiny of his racism and apparent disdain for the environment, accusing the press of bias against him and his son Flavio Bolsonaro.

Rio de Janeiro prosecutors are probing the younger Bolsonaro ​over alleged money laundering in his office during his 15-year tenure as state deputy, with investigators raiding several properties linked to him on Thursday.

Speaking outside the Dawn Palace on Friday, his visibly angered father was asked by a Globo reporter what should happen to Flavio if he was found to have committed a “slip” during his time in office.

“You have a terribly homosexual face, but I don’t accuse you of being homosexual,” Mr Bolsonaro – a self-described homophobe – replied in Portuguese, as a crowd of his supporters laughed.

Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Show all 20 1 /20 Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Indigenous Macuxi children play at the community of Maturuca on the Raposa Serra do Sol reservation, Roraima state, Brazil Photos Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat The Macuxi fear the return of farmers, illegal gold miners and poachers, all of whom are emboldened by President Jair Bolsonaro’s rhetoric and his moves to weaken their rights Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat A child from an indigenous tribe eats a watermelon Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Children play in Uailan river in Romaira state Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Chief Aldenir Lima, the leader of the 70 communities on the Raposa Serra do Sol reservation next to a monument honouring the tribes and their struggle to secure land rights Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Sideneia Francisco de Lima, 15, looks out of her house on the reservation Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Indigenous Macuxi children dance in a ceremony for indigenous leaders Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Macuxi people play football on the reservation Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat ‘I want to ask the new president Jair Bolsonaro to respect indigenous people and our constitutional rights,’ says community leader Tereza Pereira de Souza, her hair crowned with a headdress of yellow feathers. ‘It took us 30 years to get our land borders legally recognised and registered’ Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat The night sky above the reservation. Brazil’s 900,000 indigenous people make up less than 1 per cent of the population and live on reservations that account for 13 per cent of the territory Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Macuxi leader Orlando Pereirana da Silva, 73, weighs cattle meat at the community of Uailan Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat A Macuxi cowboy stands on a rock Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Bolsonaro says they live in abject poverty and hunger and should be assimilated instead of being confined to reservations like ‘zoo animals’ Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Any attempt to change the reservation’s legal status would likely be opposed by the Supreme Court on the grounds that Brazil’s 1988 Constitution protects indigenous land rights Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat A teacher writes on a board at an indigenous cultural centre Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Anthropologists warn that removing protections would destroy the traditions and languages of the Macuxi and four other related tribes on the reservation Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat ‘Nature is our life, our blood and our spirit, because it gives us sustenance,’ says Martinho de Souza, a Macuxi shaman. ‘We were born on this land, we live here and we will die here.’ Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Nearby, in the shaman’s village of Tamanduá, chickens run about. The village is named after a type of anteater, a large mammal in danger of extinction Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat A Macuxi woman takes a shower Reuters Brazilian tribal lands under new threat Macuxi leader Tuchaua Gilmario Pereira in a blue feather headdress Reuters

“Although it is not a crime to be homosexual. You say ‘if, if, if’ all the time.”

Prosecutors in Rio are investigating allegations the younger Bolsonaro hired “phantom” employees – workers with no duties – while he was a state legislator.

Another investigation is seeking to determine whether he diverted part of their salaries to buy two apartments in Rio’s Copacabana neighbourhood and a stake in a chocolate-store franchise. They allege the scheme was run by his former driver, Fabra­cio Queiroz.

Flavio Bolsonaro posted a lengthy video to social media, strenuously denying the allegations and claiming he was being persecuted.

“Now they are attacking my chocolate shop, which was bought with my wife’s and my own resources,” the BBC reported him as saying.

“If I wanted to launder money, would I open a franchise which is subject to external checks by the franchiser and auditors?” he added.

Speaking of the Copacabana properties, he said: “I bought them from a group of American investors that was leaving Brazil and obviously I was able to negotiate a better price because it was two properties from the same seller. Can’t I buy it cheaper? Do I have to pay more to avoid suspicion?”

Some Brazilians turned to social media, posting selfies with the caption “terribly homosexual face”. Jean Wyllys, an openly gay former politician who often clashed with Mr Bolsonaro when the two served in Congress, was an early participant.

“‘A terribly homosexual face’. With pride!” Mr Wyllys, now a professor at Harvard University’s Afro-Latin American Research Institute, wrote on Twitter.

Mr Bolsonaro has a history of making derogatory remarks about women, LGBT+ people and racial minorities, including on last year’s campaign trail. Such offensive rhetoric has diminished slightly since he took office at the beginning of this year.

Asked at the morning briefing whether he had proof that a suspicious deposit into his wife’s bank account was merely repayment of a debt, Mr Bolsonaro 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.

Mr 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, and then accused Rio’s prosecutors’ office of having a “direct line” to Globo’s news channel.

In a statement published on Friday, Globo said that while it took pride in delivering breaking news to its audience, it had not been the first publication to reveal information on the prosecutors’ investigations into Flavio Bolsonaro.

Jair Bolsonaro in 2013 declared himself a proud homophobe, and has claimed he would rather his son die in an accident than be gay.

In June, Brazil’s supreme court ruled homophobia a crime punishable by up to five years in prison, much to Mr Bolsonaro’s chagrin.