MSNBC's Chris Hayes was on Thursday's Late Show, and Stephen Colbert dove right in. "As a newsman, an actual newsman, is the Stormy Daniels lawsuit important, or just news candy?" he asked. "I actually think it is important," Hayes said, both because "we are watching a cover-up come unraveled in real time, and it's a microcosm of what I suspect is something that they have done a lot of" — using nondisclosure agreements to "sweep unpleasant facts under the rug" — and also the timing.
"Michael Cohen was willing to pony up $130,000 for what seems like a thing that's priced into Donald Trump anyway — like, 'Donald Trump had an affair with an adult film actress' is not mind-blowing to anyone" — just weeks after the Access Hollywood tape sent President Trump's campaign into a panic, Hayes said. But WikiLeaks also immediately bailed them out, suggesting coordination between Trump's campaign, WikiLeaks, and the Russians who gave WikiLeaks the John Podesta emails.
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