After footage aired Sunday of Georgia state Rep. Jason Spencer (R) shouting racial slurs and pulling down his pants during a fake terrorism defense class on Sacha Baron Cohen’s Showtimes series, the lawmaker has apologized but refused to resign.

Spencer issued a statement on Monday, apologizing for the “ridiculously ugly episode” and defended himself by claiming he was tricked into participating in the fake class during a particularly vulnerable point in his life. He said in 2017 he and his family had received several death threats in connection with burqa ban legislation he had introduced in the state legislature. After a gunman opened fire at a congressional baseball practice in June 2017, Spencer said his fears were heightened.

“Now, the fears I already had became more intensified as the reality of my family being targeted by a similar, deranged, would-be assassin became even more possible,” he said. “Sacha Baron Cohen and his associates took advantage of my paralyzing fear that my family would be attacked. In posing as an Israeli Agent, he pretended to offer self-defense exercises. As uncomfortable as I was to participate, I agreed to, understanding that these ‘techniques’ were meant to help me and others fend off what I believed was an inevitable attack.”

In the segment, Spencer agrees to pose as a Chinese tourist, in which he blatantly mocks a Chinese person while repeating a host of offensive stereotypes like “sushi” and “red dragon.” He then repeatedly shouts the n-word after he’s instructed that it will make it easier to draw attention to yourself if you’re being attacked. He also pulled down his pants and exposed his bare butt to ward off terrorists.

Multiple lawmakers have called on Spencer, who lost his primary election last month, to resign, but in his statement, he said he would serve out the remaining five months of his term.

In his new series “Who Is America?” Cohen is reportedly able to trick Republican lawmakers into a slew of embarrassing scenarios. Last week, several Republicans agreed to support a program that taught kindergarteners how to use firearms.

Read Spencer’s full statement below: