Romanian minister who called wives of expats "whores" and their children "vagabonds" resigns

The Romanian transportation minister has resigned after calling the wives of millions of Romanians working abroad "whores."

Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Thursday accepted the resignation of Ioan Rus a day after the minister said in a TV interview that the 3 million Romanians working abroad were sending remittances home to wives who were "whores" to pay for children who were "good-for-nothings."

The embattled Ponta was named June 5 as a possible corruption suspect, including money laundering and being an accomplice to tax evasion. Parliament voted to keep his immunity and he faces a vote of no-confidence Friday that he is expected to win.

The resignation of Rus is expected to help Ponta by showing he is responsive to wrongdoing from his ministers.