Some people close to Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones warned him not to do an interview with Comedy Central’s Emmy-winning program, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” but he ignored their advice.
- WATCH: See the video here
- A three-minute segment featuring Jones appeared on the satirical news show Wednesday, where the sheriff was mocked by comedian Al Madrigal for his strong views on illegal immigration. Among Jones' more controversial statements were that immigrants entering the U.S. illegally get lots of free stuff, including free computers, healthcare and house and car payments.
After viewing the program, does Jones regret his decision?
“I knew what it was going in, and I had five people advise me not to do it,” Jones said. “But to tell you the truth, I think they were going to spoof me if I showed up or not.”
The sheriff said he was attending his own fundraiser Wednesday night and did not see his taped appearance on the show when it aired. Jones has been unbending for years on his stance on illegal immigration and closing the borders, which was the topic of the three-hour question and answer session filmed for “The Daily Show” in Austin, Texas, two weeks ago.
The interview was parred down to a three-minute parody that had viewers laughing at the sheriff and others.
The sheriff said he agreed to do the show because of the large audience it brings in and “believe it or not, I do have a sense of humor.”
“You can’t go into it thinking you are going to beat Jon Stewart,” the sheriff said.
Jones said he volunteers for odd things, such as dunking booths, knowing it is not going to be a pleasant experience.
“If you can’t laugh at yourself, then you need to be in another business,” Jones said.
The sheriff said he believes his appearance on the show might make people think about immigration issues.
“I was trying to get my point across, just a little bit on how screwed up immigration is, and it is,” Jones said. “It is about making people think.”
During his interview with Madrigal, the sheriff says a solution to the immigration problem is assuring violators are not using services in the United States for free.
“The solution is, to where they don’t have the stuff that they’ve got here. Free stuff,” Jones said. “They get a new computer. They get their car payments. They get their house payments. They get free medical care.”
Madrigal’s said, “But specifically where? I’d love to get some free computers and some free medical care.”
Jones said, “You’ve got to come here illegally to get the free stuff. It’s welfare at its worst.”
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