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The deputy from the ruling party stirred up a conflict with the journalists

Scandal grew into a real war between United Russia and journalists, bloggers

In retaliation to the article titled “The political prostitution changed the sex” published in the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily, State Duma deputy from the United Russia Party Andrei Isayev pledged that “the concrete editor and author of the article will bear a tough responsibility,” he named his critics as “small-minded beasts”. The article gave an biased assessment to the lawmaking of United Russia deputies Irina Yarovaya, Olga Batalina and Yekaterina Lakhova. The United Russia Party took Isayev’s statement “as a worthy response of the man to a rude escapade.” On Monday, Chief Editor of the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily Pavel Gusev will ask the Prosecutor General’s Office to inquire, where the threats to the journalists are contained in the warnings made by deputy Isayev.

The Kommersant daily noted that Andrei Isayev heads the State Duma Committee for Labour and Social Policy and occupies the post of the deputy secretary for ideology in the United Russia General Council. In his Twitter microblog without the reference to the article in the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily he wrote about “a disgusting, treacherous and dirty bite on four women deputies in the yellow.” The deputy pledged that “the villains, who did it, should know that we will not forget it and will not forgive them.” Later Isayev corrected his position and wrote that “damned beasts” will be ignored, “but the concrete editor and the author of the article will bear a tough responsibility.” Before such statements were not used in Isayev’s public vocabulary, as the latter is one of few United Russia members, which can engage into public debates, the newspaper noted.

A source in the Russian presidential administration told the Kommersant daily that “we do not want to interfere in this case and will give no comments.”

By Sunday, March 17, the scandal did not subside, but on the contrary, grew into a real war between United Russia and journalists, bloggers, the Nezavisimaya Gazeta daily noted. The website of the party is full of the headlines, which look like the reports from the war theatre, “The party supports Isayev...”, “Lakhova called it as a man-like act...”

Last Sunday, Andrei Isayev posted on the United Russia website his detailed position. “I explained that I mean as “damned beasts” neither the journalists and moreover nor Russian citizens. I mean those swines, who are writing in the Internet, usually under anonymous nicks...” the newspaper quoted Isayev as saying. “Certainly, speaking on a tough response to those, who are writing such articles, I mean their moral responsibility for the society and juridical responsibility in those cases, when the law is violated,” the State Duma deputy explained.

Deputy chief editor of the Moskovsky Komsomolets daily Aider Muzhdabayev, who was the very “concrete editor” blasted by Isayev, replied to Isayev’s postings on his Facebook page, the Novye Izvestia daily reported. “I invented the headline imitating to Vladimir Lenin and I reply to Isayev for him (Lenin), as you were so strongly embarrassed with “the political prostitution”, as it is the common saying that guilty mind is never at ease,” the newspaper quoted Muzhdabayev as saying. For his part, Isayev did not stop at his Twitter statements. He told RIA News that he does not regret about those words, which he wrote down, and said he is ready to meet with Gusev at the prosecutor’s office.

Giving such a tough response, Andrei Isayev committed the rudest mistake, co-chairman of the Council for National Strategy Valery Khomyakov believes. “One should not be at odds with the journalists,” the expert told the Novye Izvestia daily. “He could have called the author of the article or the editor and would have discussed the problem. But such threats, particularly from a public figure, are just impermissible,” he said. Isayev’s conduct shows how the power spoils people and he with his tough response has just deteriorated a quite difficult situation, which has been emerging over the United Russia Party recently, the political expert believes.