Seth Meyers takes a closer look at the Panama Papers — and Vladimir Putin's love of judo
The leaked Panama Papers show how the rich and powerful have been able to avoid taxes by hiding their wealth, and on Monday's Late Night, host Seth Meyers explained how dozens of the most famous names in the world are linked to the scandal.
Some, like Jackie Chan, appear in the documents, but there's no evidence of any wrongdoing, while others, including the prime minister of Iceland, have been forced to resign from their posts in the fallout. Another name that popped up is Vladimir Putin, and it's really a shame, Meyers quips, that Chan and Putin are "showing up together in anything other than Rush Hour 4: Russian Hour."
The documents were leaked from the Mossack Fonseca law firm, which helps foreigners set up shell companies, and one of the founders takes offense to the idea that they are responsible for any wrongdoing, telling The New York Times they are "like a car factory who sells its car to a dealer…and he sells it to a lady that hits someone…. The factory is not responsible for what is done with the car." That's not quite right, Meyers said, adding it's more like "you made a car, left the car running outside a bank, and loudly yelled, 'I hope no bank robbers use this as a getaway car!'" Watch the video — complete with clips of Putin doing judo moves — below. Catherine Garcia
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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