Former U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh (R.-Ill.) issued a mea culpa after his appearance on Sacha Baron Cohen’s new Showtime series “Who Is America?” in which he touts a fictitious government program to put guns in the hands of 4-year-olds.
Although Walsh blamed the error of judgment on the written script on the teleprompter, he said in a tweet on Sunday, “It was my screw up.”
A segment in the premiere episode that aired Saturday had Baron Cohen’s character — an Israeli former soldier named Col. Erran Morad — pitching the idea of arming children, or as he referred to it, Kinderguardians.
Walsh responded in the segment, “The intensive three-week kinder-guardians course introduces specially selected children from 12 to 4 years old to pistols, rifles, semiautomatics and a rudimentary knowledge of mortars in less than a month. [In] less than month, a first-grader can become a first-grenader.”
Sunday morning, Walsh was called out on his statement by many, including National Security lawyer Bradely P. Moss, who asked in a tweet, “‘Kinderguardians’? Really man?”
Walsh quickly responded, “What can I say Bradley? @SachaBaronCohen got me. Do I believe kindergarteners should be armed? Hell no. But, it’s on me. Sacha fooled me good. Flew me out to DC for some made up friend of Israel award. I gotta live with it.” He added in a subsequent tweet, “It was my screw up.”
What can I say Bradley? @SachaBaronCohen got me. Do I believe kindergarteners should be armed? Hell no.
But, it's on me. Sacha fooled me good. Flew me out to DC for some made up friend of Israel award. I gotta live with it. https://t.co/r4juubOG9l
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 15, 2018
David Frum, senior editor at the Atlantic and author of “Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic,” stepped in to express his dislike for the format of Baron Cohen’s new show, saying it “takes advantage of people’s affection and respect for the State of Israel to deceive and humiliate them.” Walsh agreed.
I agree David. I gotta own what I said. But @SachaBaronCohen flew me out to DC, put me up in a hotel, all to have an Israeli TV network give me a big "Friend of Israel" award. The entire thing was a big lie.
But he got me to read 30 seconds of crazy stuff about guns. https://t.co/ftYwgQVEbR
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 15, 2018
Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher from California also appeared in the segment with similar comments to Walsh’s script. Neither has responded yet to criticism.
You can watch this portion of the episode in the video embedded at the top of this post, with Walsh appearing around the 9:04 mark.