The State Duma's ethics committee will investigate Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky after the firebrand politician directed a particularly at reporters on Friday.
After being asked whether Russia should retaliate against the travel restrictions placed on Russian men by Ukraine, Zhirinovsky went on a foul-mouthed tirade and ordered one of his aides to rape a pregnant reporter.
Several journalists rose to the woman's defense, prompting Zhirinovsky to call one of them a lesbian.
He also said that the woman should have stayed at home instead of working while pregnant.
The Duma's press pool sent a letter to Duma speaker Sergei Naryshkin demanding an inquiry into Zhirinovsky's actions.
Naryshkin condemned Zhirinovsky's behavior and apologized on his behalf, but the pregnant journalist's employer, Rossia Segodnya, has demanded a public apology from the LDPR chief.
Andrei Andreyev, head of the ethics committee, said that Zhirinovsky could be forced to apologize and may also be barred from speaking at the Duma for a month.
The committee will request that Zhirinovsky explain himself next week.
Zhirinovsky's spokesman, Yury Ryzhkov, told Kommersant that he partly blames himself for the incident, as it is his responsibility to control his boss's outbursts.
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