Item from Sacha Baron Cohen's series withdrawn

An item purporting to be the ‘waterboarding kit’ that Dick Cheney signed for Sacha Baron Cohen has been withdrawn from sale on eBay.

The comic persuaded the former vice president to sign an empty gallon jug in the latest episode of his new TV series Who Is America?, which airs on Channel 4 tonight.

In the guise of his Israeli anti-terrorism expert, Erran Morrad, Baron Cohen hands over an an empty gallon jug  and asks the politician: ’Is it possible to sign my water board?’

Cheney obliges and replies: ‘That’s a first. That’s the first time I’ve signed a water board.’

Bidding on the item reached more than £1,000 before it was taken down, with the proceeds destined for Amnesty International.

Although it is not 100 per cent clear whether the listing was genuine, Sacha Baron Cohen’s official, validated Facebook page had posted a link to the auction.

The post said: ‘Over the years, I have acquire many items of memorabilia from military heroes, including the eye patch worn by Moshe Dayan in the Six Day War and the underpants soiled by Donald Trump when he got his draft notice. But perhaps most impressive of all is a water board bottle signed by the "Einstein of Enhanced Interrogation", Dick Cheney.’

On eBay, the description of the item said: ‘Unlike the cheap domestic water board kits you can buy on Amazon, this is a professional grade piece of military hardware. 

‘Fully functioning, it have seen many hours active use by me, both on the frontline of the War on Terror and also in my own home, where it has proved very effective at keeping my son, Eyal, in line. Indeed, if you too live in a bungalow, water boarding is a great alternative to the "naughty step".’

It also came with a money-back guarantee if it did not prevent the next major terrorist attack.

Published: 23 Jul 2018