Stephen Colbert slyly taunts Trump about chickening out on his Mueller interview

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Late Show)

published 7 February 2018

President Trump's lawyers are advising him against talking with Special Counsel Robert Mueller, because of Trump's well-documented problems with the truth and sticking to one story, Stephen Colbert said on Tuesday's Late Show. "Yeah, it is a crack legal analysis from the law firm of No Sh-t & Sherlock."

"I know Trump watches this show, because it's on TV, so right now I've got a special message for him," Colbert said. "Mr. President, ignore your lawyers, sir. You follow your instincts and you sit down with Robert Mueller. Otherwise, everyone's going to think that you're scared. But we know that you're not — oh, oh, your fried chicken has arrived," he added, holding up an empty KFC bucket and looking at the screen. "Where is that — oh, I think I know where the chicken is. Bawk bawk-aw."

Colbert turned to the declassified memo from House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.). "Republicans hyped this dud for weeks," he said, with their central claim that the FBI didn't tell a FISA judge that the Trump dossier referenced in the application to surveil former Trump adviser Carter Page was paid for indirectly by Democrats. "If true, that's a pretty damning charge," Colbert said. "Spoiler alert: not true. Turns out the partisan nature of the dossier was mentioned in a footnote. Now Nunes really should learn how footnotes work — he's about to become one in history."

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Nunes isn't letting the footnote get in the way of his story. "I mean, just because a footnote completely destroys your entire argument, that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep making the argument," Colbert said, with a footnote. Democrats have their own rebuttal memo that may be released this week, "so our nation's leaders have been reduced to passive-aggressive memo writing. It's the congressional version of the office thermostat," he added. And he imagined the heavily redacted version of the Democratic memo that Trump might release. Watch below. Peter Weber

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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.