GOP rep: I wasn’t ‘duped into an interview by Borat’

Rep. Lee Zeldin said Tuesday that comedian Sacha Baron Cohen tried to get him to appear on his new Showtime series, but the New York Republican “picked up on his sleazy pitch.”

Cohen’s new show “Who is America?” — which premiered on Sunday — features the former “Borat” star’s signature guerrilla-style interviews in which he appears in disguises while attempting to entrap subjects in embarrassing or offensive situations.

For anyone hoping I was duped into an interview by Borat, you’ll be saddened to know I picked up on his sleazy pitch beforehand & didn’t agree to his make believe interview when “Julia Harris” reached out from “Yerushalayim TV” to give me a “70 at 70” award for supporting Israel.

— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) July 16, 2018

The British actor has in recent months conducted interviews with a number of prominent politicians for his new show, including former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), former Vice President Dick Cheney and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), among others.{mosads}

Palin claimed that she was “duped” into a prank interview for series, and accused Cohen of lying about being a disabled veteran.

Showtime disputed her claims, saying Cohen “did not present himself as a disabled veteran, and viewers nationwide who watched the premiere on Sunday can now attest to that.”

The first episode of the series included interviews with a number of lawmakers and gun rights advocates who, at Cohen’s urging, said they supported arming toddlers.

Cohen starred in the 2006 comedy film “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” and 2009’s “Brüno,” playing the titular characters, who first appeared on his series “Da Ali G Show.”