Georgia politician to resign after shouting racist slurs on Sacha Baron Cohen show

Jason Spencer had vowed to serve out his term despite fallout from TV episode

Jason Spencer in a scene from the series 'Who Is America', starring Sacha Baron Cohen. In the episode featuring Spencer, Cohen poses as an Israeli military expert who persuades Spencer to take part in several outlandish exercises. AP

A Georgia politician will resign after exposing himself and shouting racial slurs on provocateur Sacha Baron Cohen's cable TV show, a spokesman for House Speaker David Ralston said.

Republican Jason Spencer had vowed to serve out his term despite the fallout, but he will now step down at the end of the month, spokesman Kaleb McMichen told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution late on Tuesday.

In Sunday night's broadcast of Mr Cohen's Showtime series "Who Is America?" Mr Cohen poses as an Israeli military expert who persuades Mr Spencer to take part in several outlandish exercises. The politician is told they're making a counterterrorism video.

Mr Spencer repeatedly shouts a racial slur for black people after Mr Cohen tells him the tactic is useful for drawing bystanders' attention to an unfolding attack.

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He also drops his trousers, then his underwear, before backing his exposed rear end toward Mr Cohen while shouting "USA" and "America". Mr Cohen told Mr Spencer this would incite fear in homophobic militants. The segment also shows Mr Spencer speaking with a mock Asian accent while using a selfie-stick to surreptitiously insert a camera phone between the legs of a woman dressed in traditional Muslim clothing.

Mr Ralston and others had called for his immediate resignation.

In a statement on Monday, Mr Spencer apologised for the "ridiculously ugly episode", but he refused to step down.

Mr Spencer lost the Republican primary in May, but he could have remained in public office through the November election.