El Paso GOP Chair Vows to Sue Sacha Baron Cohen Over Ali G Film

The chair of the El Paso County Republican Party says he plans to sue Sacha Baron Cohen over footage of him in the new satirical comedy Ali G: Who Iz I? Michael Aboud, a businessman, told the Guardian on Tuesday that Baron Cohen and his crew are "a bunch of liars [who] deceive people to benefit themselves."

Until the Guardian contacted him, Aboud did not know he had appeared in anything other than what he believed was a nonfiction film. "They claimed that this would be a documentary about the illegals crossing the border," Aboud said in a statement. "Then they said they were adding in this self-defence guy from Israel."

What does the film show?

In the movie, Aboud takes part in a training programme run by Col Erran Morad, Baron Cohen's fictional ex-Mossad "terrorist expert" carried over from his 2018 show Who is America? Morad teaches Aboud and fellow MAGA sympathisers self-defence techniques, including wearing protective plastic buttocks over their clothes. He also trains them to fire bullets from those buttocks through repeated manipulation of a rubber penis.

Aboud and another student, former preacher and aspiring actor Joshua Loudermilk, are then recruited for a mission: preventing the birth on US soil of the baby of a fictional South American drugs kingpin whom Mossad has mistaken for Ali G. The pair help Morad abduct Ali G's girlfriend Julie (played by Morgana Robinson), apparently in late-stage labour, and drive her in a kebab van disguised as an ambulance to an abandoned medical facility, where she gives birth to a prosthetic baby.

They then place the live baby in a zipped bag and drive it toward Mexico. In the final reel, Loudermilk tries to discharge fire from his fake buttocks while Aboud decides to drop the baby — dangling from a drone at considerable height — to stop it touching US soil.

How does Aboud respond?

"It is my opinion that Sasha Cohen [sic] is a pervert," Aboud said. "Plus he talked about how Muslims are all gay because they follow the sex practices of Mohamid [sic]. No one should spend one penny watching anything he produces or appears in. I plan to sue him." Pressed on whether he stands by his actions in the film, Aboud declined to comment.

The film repeatedly stresses that neither Aboud nor Loudermilk was "in on it." But Loudermilk's social media suggests more awareness than most participants. He posted on Facebook: "I got to spend 12 hours one on one with Sasha [sic] and he taught me soooo much about the fun of making others laugh," alongside a film promo link adding, "I am in the trailer." On 10 January he posted a headshot captioned: "Howdy. Done with Sasha Cohen movie and ready for more." Film representatives told the Guardian that Loudermilk was unaware of the film's true nature.

Aboud's surprise is striking given that he and Loudermilk both feature in the second trailer, released a fortnight ago. That clip contains clear signals that all is not what it seems, including Morad warning recruits that immigrants "are not coming here to mow your lawn, trim your trees, rake your leaves, clean your house, care for your babies, bus your tables, wash your cars, paint your houses, build your fences, install your roofs, drywall, plumbing or electric. They are coming to kill you."

Who else appears?

Another storyline has Ali G hosting a "free speech" web show, reading a questionable script supplied by South African producer Dirk Visser, who could not be reached for comment. Ali G also fronts a Visser-devised gameshow in which contestants race the clock to stuff mannequins depicting "undesirables" — rappers, gay people, Muslims and Mexican babies — into pretend shower cubicles before pressing a button that seemingly releases Zyklon B. The segment ends with a mass Nazi salute.

Disgraced former Republican congressman George Santos takes part, telling the camera his takeaway is that next time he would grab more babies, "as they're easier to fit in the shower." Santos told the Guardian he was unaware of the film's true nature, "as me and my team had no involvement," and declined to justify his behaviour.

Aboud says a lawsuit is coming; whether a court accepts that a public trailer released a fortnight before his complaint left him genuinely unaware will be the question any legal action turns on.