Trevor Noah whistles at the new Trump Russia emails, says Felix Sater may be Trump's 'broken tail light'


Congress and Special Counsel Robert Mueller are both investigating President Trump's ties to Russia in connection with suspected election meddling, and "the big question in all of this is: What was the connection between Donald Trump and the Russian government?" Trevor Noah said on Tuesday's Daily Show. So far, Trump's answer has always been that there's no connection, no business, no contact with Russia. Well, that hasn't held up to scrutiny very well, Noah said. Emails turned over to Congress by Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, show that Trump secretly signed a letter of intent to build the tallest building in the world in Moscow, during the presidential campaign.
"How can one person lie so big?" Noah asked. "It's like if your friend said that they had never heard of Mumford and Sons, and then one day you see the album cover, and you're like, 'Wait a minute — you're Mumford!'" Anyway, "now it's confirmed: Yes, during the campaign, Donald Trump totally had connections to Russia," Noah said. "The remaining question is, were those connections strictly business, or were they getting out on the vote-y vote-y action?" While that isn't clear yet, the men Trump signed the Russia deal with "aren't exactly helping his case," he said, pointing specifically at Felix Sater, the apparent middle man.
Trump originally denied any connection with Sater, even though the Russian-born ex-con had gold-embossed Trump Organization business cards identifying him as Trump's senior adviser, but the real story "is what the shady guy was saying," Noah said, showing some of Sater's emails. "I love how obvious all the Trump people were in their collusion emails." How big a deal will this turn out to be? Nobody knows, but Mueller certainly has some big leads to pursue now. "This buddy-boy emails may not be the smoking gun for Trump, but what it could end up being is the broken tail light," Noah said, "the thing that gives law enforcement the excuse they need to look into Trump's trunk." Watch below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Sodium batteries could make electric flight viable
Under the Radar Low-cost fuel cell has higher energy density and produces chemical by-product that could absorb CO2 from the atmosphere
-
Flying into danger
Feature America's air traffic control system is in crisis. Can it be fixed?
-
Pocket change: The demise of the penny
Feature The penny is being phased out as the Treasury plans to halt production by 2026
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect