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Sacha Baron Cohen fires back at Sarah Palin following Who Is America? outrage

The Republican politician branded Cohen ‘evil, exploitive and sick’

Jacob Stolworthy
Saturday 14 July 2018 10:00 BST
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Sacha Baron Cohen teases new project with Trump video

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Sacha Baron Cohen has hit back at Sarah Palin after she branded the comedian “evil, exploitive” and “sick” after posing as a wounded US veteran to get an interview for his surprise new series.

In character as Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr, PhD, Cohen continued to tear into political figures as part of the promotion of Who Is America? which will land on Showtime tomorrow night (15 July).

He responded to Republican politician Palin’s damning Facebook post by releasing a statement under the guise of a right-wing journalist branding her comments as “FAKE NEWS”.

The letter reads: “I did NOT say I was a War Vet. I was in the service – not military, but United Parcel and I only fought for my country once – when I shot a Mexican who came onto my property.”

Other politicians to admit being duped by Cohen include former Republican congressman Joe Walsh, who attended a fake pro-Israel event on his invitation without realising Cohen was the funnyman behind creations such as Ali G and Borat. Walsh has since joined a social media campaign to boycott the network that will debut the brand new series.

Disgraced US Senate candidate Roy Moore – who was accused of sexual assault by nine women – also revealed he was tricked into appearing on the show, stating: “As an American, I would never hide my identity and deceive others only to mock and ridicule them as this Showtime series is designed to do. America is not only about being proud but about being brave and standing for what we believe.”

Who Is America? begins in the US this Sunday and will air the following evening (16 July) in the UK on Channel 4.

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