Stephen Colbert taunted the Trump administration on Monday after The New York Times reported that the Presidents son, Donald Trump Jr., agreed to meet with a Russian lawyer offering information that would hurt Hillary Clintons bid for the presidency.
Its not a smoking gun, Colbert allowed, but it is a gun meeting with a Russian bullet about their mutual desire to smoke.
Much ado about nothing, he added, mocking the words Donald Trump Jr.s lawyer Alan Futerfasused in his clients defense, other than the fact that five White House advisors then confirmed that Don Jr. only took the meeting because the lawyer promised to provide damaging information on Hillary Clinton.
Trump Jr. has presented multiple stories about his rendezvous with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, suggesting first that he did not know who the meeting was with or what it was about, and then saying it was mainly a discussion of adoption policy between Russia and the U.S..
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Colbert enjoyed poking holes in these alibis. So the excuse is: I tried to collude, but I didnt get anything, he said. Thats like saying, yes your honor, I broke into the house, but there was nothing worth stealing so if you think about it, they were robbing me.'
The Late Showhost got one of his sharpest digs from another one of Trump Jr.s excuses. He was confused by Natalia Veselnitskaya, saying, her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense,' Colbert said, straight-faced. So I assume she was immediately hired as a Trump speechwriter.
As soon as news of Trump Jr.s meeting broke over the weekend, the Presidents son released a statement explaining that his brother-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign-manager Paul Manafort, who were also in attendance, did not know the subject of the meeting. Trump Jr. also sheltered his father, saying the President had no knowledge of the meetings existence.
Colbert posed a question to his audience. So were supposed to believe that Donald Trump had no idea what was happening at the highest levels of his campaign?
He paused and scrunched his face in thought.
Yeah, he decided. That checks out.
Everything we know about the members of Trumps campaign who had contact with the Russian government. Watch here.