Proud recipient

Congressman still showing off bogus pro-Israel award from Sacha Baron Cohen

On his website, Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania touts his medal from the nonexistent ‘Yerushalayim Television’

By Luke Tress 5 August 2018, 6:19 pm 2 Edit

Luke Tress is an editor and a reporter in New York for The Times of Israel.

Rep. Scott Perry, Republican of Pennsylvania, arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, November 17, 2015. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Sacha Baron Cohen continues to troll American political figures on “Who is America?” his current Showtime series, and one Republican lawmaker seems not quite up to speed.

Rep. Scott Perry, the US Representative for Pennsylvania’s 4th congressional district, still lists a bogus pro-Israel award from Baron Cohen on his website, even though the hoax show has now been running for several weeks.

Along with dozens of other honors, Perry trumpets his “2018 70 for 70” award from Yerushalayim Television, a news station that does not exist. The award was purportedly in honor of Israel’s 70th anniversary this year. The liberal news site ThinkProgress first reported the error on Friday.

Baron Cohen, whose mother is Israeli and who spent time in the country growing up, plays Israeli counter-terrorism expert Col. (ret.) Erran Morad on “Who is America?” The character has been well received by actual Israelis.

This combination photo shows Sacha Baron Cohen at the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on January 15, 2007, left, and Cohen portraying retired Israeli Colonel Erran Morad in a still from the Showtime series, “Who Is America?” (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, left, and Showtime)

The British-Jewish comedian apparently presented phony awards to various political figures to take advantage of their pro-Israel sentiments and score interviews. A former representative, Joe Walsh, a Republican of Illinois, told CNN that the comedian tricked him into appearing on “Who is America?” by saying he was “getting an award from some Israeli TV station because I’m a great supporter of Israel.”

Baron Cohen has so far duped a few current and recent politicians, as well as gun rights activists, into supporting a fictitious initiative to arm toddlers. He persuaded Dick Cheney to sign a waterboard, and prompted the resignation of Georgia Republican State Rep. Jason Spencer, who repeatedly said “nigger” and exposed his bottom on the show after Baron Cohen told him it would help scare away Muslim terrorists.

Roy Moore, the defeated Alabama Senate candidate accused of sexual assault against teenagers, walked out of an interview with Baron Cohen after the comedian trolled him with a “pedophile detector,” which he described as the latest “Israeli technology.”