Jason Spencer, US politician pranked by Sasha Baron Cohen, to resign after yelling racial slurs in show
A Republican politician has been forced to resign after footage emerged of him shouting racial slurs in a US television show.
Jason Spencer, a Georgia state representative, was duped by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen into dropping his trousers and shouting the N-word in an apparent attempt to deter terrorists.
Mr Spencer initially refused to quit after the show aired on Sunday, calling it a "ridiculously ugly episode" .
He has come under mounting pressure to stand down with several major US networking showing the embarrassing footage on prime time news shows.
David Ralston, the Speaker of Georgia's House of Representatives, told CNN Mr Spencer's actions and language were "reprehensible", adding: "Georgia is better than this."
Mr Spencer has now said he will stand down at the end of the month.
Baron Cohen, who is known for tricking public figures with fake interviews, styles himself as Col Erran Morad, an Israeli anti-terrorism expert, for his latest show "Who is America?"
During the skit, the comedian convinces the state representative he is taking part in an anti-terrorism training class and suggests he bare his rear end to scare off a would-be attacker.
"If you want to win, you show some skin," Baron Cohen tells him, claiming it would fend off terrorists because they are afraid of homosexuality.
The lawmaker can also be seen using offensive language as he pretends to be an Asian tourist while attempting to take up-skirting photos of a dummy wearing a burka.
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Mr Spencer has previously backed legislation banning Muslim women from wearing burkas in public, and in 2016 he sought to update a 1951 state law that outlawed Ku Klux Klan members from wearing hoods at public rallies. He quickly dropped the proposal after criticism.
He later shouts "USA" and the N-word as he acts out how he would attract attention to ward off a potential kidnapper.
Baron Cohen then says: "Are you crazy? The 'n-word' is noonie! Not this word. This word is disgusting".
GOP Gov. Nathan Deal said in a tweet: "There is no excuse for this type of behavior, ever, and I am saddened and disgusted by it."
Mr Spencer said in a statement Baron Cohen had taken "advantage of my paralysing fear that my family would be attacked".
"My fears were so heightened at that time, I was not thinking clearly nor could I appreciate what I was agreeing to when I participated in his 'class'," he said.
Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate and Dick Cheney, President George W Bush's vice president, are also set to feature on the show.
Ahead of the show's airing Ms Palin announced on Facebook that she had joined "a long list of American public personalities" to fall victim to the "sick 'humour' of the British 'comedian' Sacha Baron Cohen" .
