Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., is responding after a trailer for a new Showtime TV series debuted featuring himself seeming to advocate for arming three-year-old children with guns.
“A three-year-old cannot defend itself from an assault rifle by throwing a ‘Hello Kitty’ pencil case at it,” Wilson said in the video. “Our Founding Fathers did not put an age limit on the Second Amendment,” he continued.
Wilson is now saying he was tricked into making the statements, while the TV crew presented him with a fake award for his work supporting the state of Israel.
“I was appreciative, OK, of receiving this beautiful award which recognized me as one of 70 people for their support of Israel on the 70th anniversary of the Jewish state,” he told the Post and Courier.
Wilson even received an engraved piece of glass artwork, complete with Hebrew characters, a Star of David, and his name etched on the front.
U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson said he was presented with this award when he was interviewed by what he thought was an Israeli television network. It turned out to be a prank featuring Sacha Baron Cohen.https://t.co/2oeXfh4t4b#scpol #scnews #poltiics pic.twitter.com/NHSjJcjVHB
— Caitlin Byrd (@MaryCaitlinByrd) July 17, 2018
Wilson told the Post and Courier that the interview lasted 20 minutes, at the end of which he was handed a paper and asked if he could read what it said.
“I just simply read it without focusing on the words,” Wilson said.
Wilson later brushed it off as “something peculiar to their culture that I’m not aware of,” but is now calling the statement “bizarre.”
Produced by Sacha Baron Cohen, famously known for playing the character Borat in the movie of the same name, the series premiere of “Who is America?” was watched millions of times on cable and internet services, Variety reported.
The rest of the episode features embarrassing statements from many notable gun-rights activists, including Larry Pratt, the former director of Gun Owners of America; former Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill.; and former Senate Majority leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. Some of those quoted in the series have said they were misled by Cohen when they were interviewed for the show.
