"Under Donald Trump, terrifying news comes from the darndest places," Stephen Colbert said on Thursday's Late Show. This time it was a reality show, Celebrity Big Brother, and contestant Omarosa Manigault Newman, who said, among other things, that she was "haunted" by every Trump tweet. Colbert was not sympathetic. "Oh, really — you were haunted?" he said. "Out here it's been the Trumpityville Horror. Also, Omarosa, pro tip: When you're on a reality show, whispering doesn't really work. Trump can still hear you." Omarosa also predicted that things are not going to be okay. "I had an inkling things weren't going to be okay when Trump hired Omarosa to work in the White House," Colbert said.
The White House, meanwhile, is reeling from a scandal involving Rob Porter, the staff secretary who resigned Wednesday after evidence surfaced that he abused his two ex-wives. "Now these are horrible, sickening revelations, so the White House had no choice but to defend him," Colbert deadpanned. White House aides knew about the allegations for months, and Colbert had some HR advice: "You know who Trump ought to fire next? Every person who knew about this, and I'm guessing that's everybody. Because this Porter guy didn't exactly hide his temper. After the story broke, one White House journalist said Porter 'audibly growled at me.'" He re-enacted the growl, then advised: "Hey, when you're trying to convince people you're not a violent predator, maybe don't make animal noises."
"Is the Trump administration so desperate for people who are even mildly competent that they're willing to overlook anything?" Colbert asked. He did agree with White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah that the administration "could have done better" handling the Porter situation: "I think that's fair to say. It's also fair to say the captain of the Hindenburg should have considered a no-smoking sign." Watch below. Peter Weber
The Week
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