NY City Councilman’s angry response to Borat-style interview a hit on YouTube
October 11, 2007
NEW YORK – An obscenity-laced video of a city councilman kicking a Norwegian interviewer out of his office has drawn a bigger audience than he’s ever had at City Hall.
The video of New York City Councilman James Oddo and a woman using the fake interview format made famous by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G character has been viewed more than 415,000 times since it went up on YouTube just a few days ago.
The Staten Island council member is first seen in the 96-second clip welcoming Pia Haraldson of the Norwegian comedy show “Rikets R%F8st” into his office.
After she asks some bizarre questions about Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton – including how Obama, as an African American, can run for president if he’s not a U.S. citizen – he demands that she leave his office in a burst of profanity.
Oddo has apologized for his language but not for getting angry.
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“My language was inappropriate, I’m apologetic for it, I regret it,” Oddo told local channel NY-1. “I don’t regret the sentiment.”