Republican leader embarrassed by Ali G film says he plans to sue Sacha Baron Cohen: ‘A liar and a pervert’

The chair of the El Paso County Republican Party has said he intends to sue Sacha Baron Cohen over footage of the local politician used in new satircal comedy Ali G: Who Iz I?

In the film, Michael Aboud is shown taking part in a training programme with another Cohen character, ex-Mossad terrorist expert Col Erran Morad, who instructs Aboud and fellow Maga sympathisers in self-defence techniques including the wearing, over clothes, of protective plastic buttocks. He also schools them in how to fire bullets from the middle of these buttocks by the repeated up and down manipulation of a rubber penis.

Aboud and a fellow student, former preacher and aspirant actor Joshua Loudermilk, are then recruited by Morad to help in a mission to prevent the birth on US soil of the baby of a fictional South American drugs kingpin, who Mossad has confused for Ali G.

This involves Aboud and Loudermilk helping Morad to abduct Ali G’s girlfriend, Julie (played by the actor Morgana Robinson), while she is apparently in the late stages of labour. They drive her in a kebab van disguised as an ambulance to a remote abandoned medical facility where she gives birth (to a lifelike prosthetic).

Maga sympathisers … Joshua Loudermilk and Michael Aboud in Ali G: Who Iz I? Photograph: Ali G: Who Iz I?

They then abandon her at the facility while placing her live baby in a zipped bag and driving it towards Mexico. In the final reel, Loudermilk is seen attempting to discharge fire from his fake buttocks, while Aboud takes the decision to drop the baby – then being dangled from a drone at a considerable height – to the ground to prevent it touching US soil. The actions could not be anything other than extremely serious for a real infant.

Until the Guardian contacted Aboud on Tuesday, the businessman was unaware of his participation in anything other than what he believed to be a nonfiction film. In a statement, Aboud called Baron Cohen “and his entire film crew … a bunch of liars [who] deceive people to benefit themselves. They claimed that this would be a documentary about the illegals crossing the border. Then they said they were adding in this self-defence guy from Israel.”

He added: “It is my opinion that Sasha Cohen [sic] is a pervert. 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 further on whether he stands by his actions in the film, Aboud declined to comment.

The film repeatedly stresses that neither Aboud nor Loudermilk are “in on it”. Loudermilk has not responded to requests for comment, but his social media feed suggests a level of understanding about the project not shared by most of his fellow participants.

Earlier this week, Loudermilk posted on Facebook that “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” as well as a link to a video promo for the film, saying, “I am in the trailer.” On 10 January, he also posted a headshot of himself, saying: “Howdy. Done with Sasha Cohen movie and ready for more.”

Representatives for the film have told the Guardian that Loudermilk was unaware of the true nature of the film.

Aboud’s shock at his involvement is particularly surprising given that he, along with Loudermilk, features in the second trailer for the film, which was released a fortnight ago.

That clip alone contains considerable clues to those involved that all is not what it seems. In his address to the recruits, Morad, who was a fixture of Baron Cohen’s 2018 show Who is America?, advises the group that they should not be fooled, for the immigrants they are set against “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.”

Another section of the film involves Ali G hosting a “free speech” web show in which he is given a questionable script to read by South African producer Dirk Visser, who could not be contacted for comment.

The character also presides over a gameshow of Visser’s invention in which contestants, against the clock, must stuff mannequins depicting “undesirables” including rappers, gay people, Muslims and Mexican babies into pretend shower cubicles, before pressing a button to seemingly activate the release of the poisonous gas Zyklon B. The segment ends with a mass Nazi salute.

One of those who takes part is the disgraced former Republican congressman George Santos, who tells the camera his takeaway from playing the game is that next time he would try to grab more babies, as they’re easier to fit in the shower. In correspondence with the Guardian, Santos also suggested he was unaware of the true nature of the film, “as me and my team had no involvement”, and declined to justify his behaviour.