Rep. Gaetz Declined to Endorse Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Kinderguardians'

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., declined to express support for comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's fictitious "Kinderguardians" program arming schoolchildren.

"You want me to say on television that I support 3- and 4-year-olds with firearms?" Gaetz asked Cohen while being interviewed by the comedian, who was in character, for "Who Is America?" on Showtime, which premiered last Sunday. "Is that what you're asking me to do?"

Cohen replied, "Yes."

Gaetz then said, "Typically, members of Congress don't just hear a story about a program and indicate whether they support it or not."

In an interview on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday, Gaetz said, "There are a number of strange things that happen every day on Capitol Hill, and so I just thought it was maybe another kind of weird, bizarre foreign media interview."

Gaetz, a self-professed fan of Cohen's work, figured out last week that he'd been interviewed by the comedian, who was in heavy makeup while portraying a new character, Israeli anti-terror expert Col. Erran Morad.

"Good makeup artistry, good acting by Sacha Baron Cohen," Gaetz said on Tuesday. "They catch members of Congress at the end of the day, a little frustrated, a little tired. And I think they got some of my colleagues to say things they likely regret."

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